Livewire
by Case13
Summary: The difference between Love and True Love isn't much... except for that 'Even Unto Death' part. Naruto, caught between love, death and his team, can't decide which is the most vexing. Not yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

Edited by Skelethin. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

---

"Fields of gold."

---

When one learns he is a prison for a malevolent entity, hated for a REASON and despised by almost all...

Relief isn't what comes to mind.

Yet to Naruto it did.

Ever since he was born. Ever since he could remember, (and he couldn't, but that he did remember) he felt it.

IT.

No name for it. Just... it.

Like a persistent song you couldn't quite forget, like an itch you couldn't scratch, like a splinter in your fucking mind amd driving you crazy...!

He tried words.

Like... duty. It... well, kind of fit.

Purpose. Oooh! Another big word. Naruto bought himself a dictionary for that.

Because it kind of... was. Only not. He was supposed to be... doing something. He was sure of that. Only he had no idea what. It kept him up at nights. Filled him with restless energy to run, to jump to go around yet another corner because maybe, just maybe... he'd know.

He didn't.

He forgot?

No, he couldn't. He couldn't name it, but it was right there. In his bones. In his blood. In his mind. In the very air he exhaled. He was supposed to be DOING something. Hell if he knew what it was. But then... Mizuki. Iruka. The Scroll of Seals...

Oh DAMN did that feel good!

Like a spring uncoiling, like a punch connecting, like a whip cracking for all it was worth.

He had a Purpose. He had a Duty. THE Duty. He could finally sleep easy now. Yeah. He KNEW what he was supposed to be doing!

Hooray!

Not.

Three months later as he awoke in the middle of the night with raw, vibrant, and voraciously hungry NEED...

Uzumaki Naruto cursed and resigned himself.

'Here we go again...'

He sighed, looking at the stars through his open window. He knew that despite the fact that he'd be awake the rest of the night, he was going to be all wound up and almost shaking with energy come morning. It was weird this way. He'd need something to do, something exhausting, something that would allow him to bleed out some of the 'need', something...

...definitely not like chasing that damn CAT.

Seriously.

If they got 'the cat' again... He'd be murdering someone. With a smile.

With a sigh, Naruto walked into his small kitchenette.

The night was young. He might as well make himself some cocoa. It was going to be another in the line of those long sleepless nights. But a fine one.

He grinned looking at the crescent moon outlined with almost surreal sharpness.

"Yeah, this is... a fine night," he chuckled.

---

Naruto hated tents.

He didn't have to share the tent with that Uchiha-bastard having his own, but... He still hated it. You could see no stars like that. He liked stars. Looking at the night sky was...

...was...

...He had no idea why he liked looking at the night sky. But there was a reason.

"Reason, reason... FEH!" The blond winced, rubbing his hand.

Maybe cutting himself with that kunai to bleed out the poison wasn't such a good idea...

Not that he'd admit it. Never. Especially not in front of Sakura.

...and he kinda thought it looked cool.

Well, pain was less cool. And that numbness was just plain annoying - he didn't lose all that much blood, dammit! And the poison didn't even have the time to work. Or so Kakashi-sensei said.

Naruto cocked his head, remembering the Demon Brothers' gauntlet. It was somewhat creepy... but cool.

"I wonder if I can buy myself one..." he muttered.

It certainly was effective.

He gripped his wounded hand, biting the lower lip to avoid crying out.

Why did it HURT like that?! He had worse wounds and they...

...never... hurt...

...like that.

Naruto's eyes dimmed as he swayed falling down on his bedroll.

---

"...Hokage... for this village."

"Really?"

Hokage. Hokage.

Didn't he... want to be the Hokage for...?

---

"Umm...Hello...?"

"...You are not very...eloquent, are you?"

Flush.

Warmth all over the face. But that slight chuckle felt even warmer...

---

Naruto hissed, tossing from side to side.

He felt the sweat, the heat.

'Fever...' He thought, feeling the unfamiliar dizziness. '...but I never get sick... Poison?'

---

"...you don't need to be so cautious. I don't bite."

"...a pity."

"...WHAT?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!"

It was the last time he let that white-haired reprobate dupe him into anything. Seriously.

---

"So... I thought that in the light of this fascinating development, buying out that debt and..."

"...yes?"

"...please don't kill me...?"

---

Despite the fever, he almost laughed.

'...what?'

---

"Nice view."

"Not bad."

"You're looking at the best view in-"

"Not like that. At night, it would be better."

"...night, huh?"

"Yes. Night... night is fine. It is always a fine night."

"...That you actually have the balls to say something like that..."

"...huh?"

The warmth of the lips was... surprising.

They weren't soft but...

"You made me laugh."

The breath caressed his ear like a raiton jutsu.

"Thank you."

"...what just happened?"

---

He coughed, feeling something warm and hot on his lips.

'..blood... oh fuck this is bad...! I need... I need to...'

Only he couldn't move. His body was like a rag doll.

What kind of poison WAS this shit?!

---

cough

'...I don't want to die.'

Blood on his lips. Blood.

Blood on the chest.

'...I don't WANT to die...'

Even as the delicate yet so powerful arms press, the voice commands, the golden-brown eyes gaze madly, desperately, with that glint he so loved even then...

'...not like this, please gods not like THIS!'

"LIVE, goddammit oh pleasepleaseplease GOD let him LIVE I love him so much PLEASE! Don't you dare to fucking DIE...!"

Even as the words left his lips he knew what he was doing.

Dying. Lying and dying and LYING so godfuckingdamn much...

He didn't want to see to know to...

'...please, not like this, not when she has her hands red with my blood god PLEASE...!'

The night sky didn't answer, the stars mocking him.

It was a fine night. The moon was high.

'...you old traitor...'

Yet the only stars that interested him were here. On earth.

...and he hated when they went dim with tears like that.

'Don't you cry. I'm gonna live. I will. I WILL! And we'll see each other again so... please don't cry...'

---

The kunai somehow found the way to his hand.

"...I... WILL... I ain't gonna die... I...fucking PROMISED!" He hissed.  
Somehow, the edge found the veins.

"...move, you stupid furball..." He whispered faintly, "Or we both... gonna die."

The veins oozed red. Naruto felt the raw blaze in his stomach.

"...yeah. Because I can't die. Until I see her again..." He muttered as the last vestiges of consciousness faded.

---

"NARUTO!" The punch left him eating the ground.

'...Damn but she hits hard when she's mad...'

"BAKA!" Sakura seethed. "This is the last time my tent is close to yours! Can't you even SLEEP peacefully?! I had half of my night WASTED, awake because of you!"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled widely, uncaring of the small bruise.

"Geez... You're even hyperactive when you sleep." The pink-haired girl rubbed her temples. "Is your diet ramen and sugar only?"

"Just ramen." He said cheerfully.

Sakura blinked.

Usually the blond whined, pestered her for a date, or tried to apologize profusely for whatever he did wrong. But today he just... smiled.

'Well, he smiles all the time, but...' She looked at Naruto closely for a second.

The boy just looked back at her, his smile even wider.

'He should be pestering me,' she thought with wonder. 'Each time I pay any kind of attention to him, he does. So why...?'

It wasn't that Sakura disliked Naruto. He was loud, obnoxious, wasn't liked by almost anyone... But he wasn't all that bad. It was just... Sakuke was SO much cooler. And Naruto had a crush on her. A monstrous one.

If she so much as glanced at him, talked with the slightest bit of civility, Naruto was screaming for a date and professing his 'love.'

'The idiot,' she thought, looking at Naruto through narrowed eyes.  
'But...'

Now he didn't. He smiled. He hummed. He smiled and smiled and SMILED...!

And that smile had her on edge.

Because Naruto's smile was the foxy grin, the 'I'm a clown, watch me!' loud, brash, annoying smile. This one was different. Oh so different. Happy.

'But... he's ALWAYS happy!'

Happy idiot. That's what the girls called him. Because he was.  
But there was Naruto happy and there was HAPPY, it seemed.

For the first time in her life, Haruno Sakura actually used her eyes to LOOK at Naruto, instead of dismissing him outright. And for some reason... that 'happy' smile freaked her out. Because if that was the REAL happy smile...

She shook her head, abandoning the thought and turned to Sasuke.

Yet still... she couldn't shake the feeling that something changed.

And she didn't like it one bit.

---

"... This is as far as I can go. Sorry, Tazuna-san." The boatman looked apologetic, but scared at the same time.

Not that Naruto paid any attention. Not even the large silhouette of the bridge moved him much. He sat in the boat, not fidgeting, not talking...

Sakura scowled.

She _hated_ Naruto's constant chattering, but now that he was silent, she just couldn't take it!

Kakashi-sensei was silent, reading one of his perverted books. Sasuke was brooding at _such_ an inconvenient angle so she couldn't watch...

And Naruto... was silent.

Not only that, his face was oddly impassive, and his eyes just looked forward blankly.

'What's with him?!' She glared at the hideous orange jumpsuit. 'Is he trying to copy Sasuke-kun or something? Moron!'

It weirded her out. This whole mission did, as a matter of fact. She just couldn't shake the bad feeling that _something_ was about to happen.

She fingered her kunai pouch nervously.

The Demon Brothers were a nasty shock, if there was another ninja like that...

'...Can't. Must remain strong. For Sasuke-kun!'

Still, her hand twitched nervously near her kunai pouch. She blinked, catching a movement from the side.

Was it...?

She paled, drawing the kunai without thinking, flinging it at the target.

Her rapid movement seemed to shake Naruto from the odd stupor.He looked to the side.

"Huh?" The blond blinked and stared at the white rabbit, impaled to the tree by Sakura's kunai. "Uh... Sakura-chan... why are you hunting rabbits now?" he asked, puzzled.

Sakura blanched, watching the dying animal with horror and guilt.

"Oh god..." She muttered.

She never killed anything before. Even if it was an animal, watching the agonizing creature writhe in obvious pain and fear as it drew its last breath...

"...I feel sick..." She whispered, feeling the acidic bile rising in her throat.

Sasuke looked at her for a second, before snorting derisively.

'And she calls herself a kunoichi?'

Kakashi's eye narrowed.

'White pelt... In summer?' He let his stance loosen slightly into what looked to be a casual posture, but one that afforded the mobility in any direction if needed. 'So, they are here...'

Naruto stared at the rabbit with an odd expression. There was something about the animal... something that rubbed him wrong.

He didn't know why, but he felt... uneasy.

'...color...'

He blinked.

'...white? In summer?'

His eyes narrowed as he felt the hairs on his neck stand.

He turned abruptly, more feeling than seeing the giant projectile.

"DOWN!" Kakashi and Naruto's scream rang as one.

Naruto went for the ground, grabbing Sakura and throwing her next to him as Sasuke and Kakashi ducked.

Letting go of Sakura's hand, he rolled forward without thinking, his legs coiling him up from the ground as one hand went for the kunai and other for... a wire?

He blinked.

'...what am I doing?'

"Well, well, well... If it isn't the Kirigakure's nukenin Momochi Zabuza-kun." Kakashi drawled lazily.

Wide eyed, Naruto didn't even notice as his right hand drawn even more wire into his hand, coiling it around his palm loosely.

Sasuke frowned, taking a step forward, only to be halted by Kakashi.

"Stay back. This guy is on a totally different level," the Copycat said sharply as his hand went to his skewed hitai-ate. "Against him, it will be a little tough... unless I do this."

The tall, bandaged man standing on the giant zanbato looked down.

"Sharingan Kakashi," he said calmly.

Sasuke flinched, as if struck.

"..I'm sorry, but the old man is mine."

"Surround and protect Tazuna-san. Don't enter combat. This is teamwork, right here. "And Zabuza... first, you will have to fight me."

Zabuza looked at Kakashi curiously.

"Ah... Sharingan right from the start. I'm honored," he said mockingly.

---

"...fool!"

Kakashi frowned, trying to get out of the stream.

'...heavy water?' he thought, 'What...?'

Zabuza smirked, his hands performing seal after seal.

The water erupted around the copy-nin, enclosing him on the water sphere.

"Heh... trying to escape into water was your mistake, Copycat. The Suirou is your inescapable prison now," Zabuza gloated smugly. "Not only a prison but... hard to move, isn't it?" He smirked.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he felt the pressure slow down his movement.

'...I'm like a fly in amber!' He realized.

"Now we can finish our fight later, but first..." The seal was fast and well practiced and Kakashi watched with growing horror as the Mizu Bunshin rose from the lake they were on. "...I need to take care of things.

"Wearing forehead protectors... acting like shinobi..." The clone sneered at the three genin. "You kids crack me up. A ninja is someone who went through life-or-death battles... someone who has blood on his hands, who survived numerous brushes with death. Basically, unless you are good enough to be listed in a Bingo book... You guys have no right to call yourself shinobi."

The three genin watched in horror as the mist filled the air once again.

Naruto blinked, barely rising his arms in time to cover his face from a vicious kick that sent him flying.

"Just a brat," Zabuza snorted.

"RUN!" Kakashi screamed, struggling with his prison. "Take Tazuna and run! You have no chance against him! Mizu Bunshin can't go very far and as long as he keeps me he can't move! RUN!"

Naruto stood up, slightly dazed, only to stiffen as he felt the malicious killer intent filling the air.

He looked up, only to see Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin in front of him and froze.

The Mizu Bunshin took a slow, deliberate step forward, obviously enjoying the situation.

Naruto looked at the shinobi with fear, the tall figure larger than life and scarier than anything in his life.

'This... is a jounin. I...' He felt numb, for the first time in his life feeling the cold, unstoppable raw fear.

He was afraid before. With the Demon Brothers, yes. But... _this_... This was pure terror.

'...I'm going to die...' he thought with rising panic. 'I... he will kill me! He will... I. Will. _Die_.'

He felt numbness all over his body as he watched the clone lazily reaching for its Zanbato.

Numbness and...

'...die?'

Honey-brown mixed with gold flashed in his mind.

'...die...'

Red. Red... of blood. Of spilled, leaking blood and...

'...DIE...'

Yet so desperate... Red staining the hands so...

'I...will die...?'

The eyes marred by panic, by tears by...

'...no...'

The tears as they fell... He so hated to see them fall...

'...Please... please don't DIE! Don't you dare die on me!'

Red...red...red... staining the eyes of honey and gold...

'...I... If I die here...'

The gasp of breath. The warm breath on his lips, the whispered moan in his ear...

'...That is... No. I will... not...'

"Oh. Poor little genin. Look at you. Quivering and going mad with fear? Don't worry. I'll make it quick," the clone mocked.

"...I... Refuse to die here..." Naruto growled rising his head. "I WILL. NOT! DIE!" he screamed breaking into a sudden run at Zabuza.

The Mizu Bunshin stared at the sudden charge.

"...young fool," it muttered, the fist making a lazy arc.

Naruto flew back, hitting the ground.

"Pfeh. Idi-" The clone frowned as he felt something cold and tight on his hands. 'Wire, but...?' His eyes widened as he heard the familiar sizzling. A split second later the sound of the explosive tag going off rocked the countryside.

Naruto sneered, getting up from the roll that he fell in to bleed off the energy of the punch.

"I won't die!" He growled. "I refuse to fucking die! YOU HEAR ME, you eyebrow less FREAK?! Until I see her again... I FUCKING REFUSE TO DIE!" the blond screamed, rage in his blue eyes. "You won't kill me!"

Sasuke and Sakura stared wide eyed, only to stiffen as the massive surge of killing intent stared to radiate in the clearing.

Zabuza looked on curiously, frowning, while Kakashi's eyes widened.

'Is this really... Naruto?' He looked at the blond with surprise. 'No genin can have that kind of aura. Kyuubi? But... It doesn't feel like that time...'

"Oh... Interesting. Kill me?" Zabuza smirked. "Killing my clone... I congratulate you. This was fine thinking. But I won't be caught again. I-"

His eyes widened as he saw the blond... move.

'...what?'

Naruto charged, without though, without doubt, without restraint, burning chakra like a madman, pooling more and more until his muscles with each step.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

He had sparred with Naruto before, or rather picked him apart without too much problem in their taijutsu practice. The blond had decent strength, but no speed and his skill was laughable.

But Naruto moved. Faster. And faster. And faster, with each step.

'...that's impossible!'

By the fourth step, the blond was far beyond his usual best. And he still kept on going. Faster.

"Well, seems like you have some decent speed, for a genin." Zabuza made another seal lazily and the Mizu Bunshin rose from the water, right in front of Naruto. "But-"

The blond didn't slow down and the bunshin suddenly just... fell apart.

Zabuza's eyes widened.

'...what? But...!'

Kakashi stared. Naruto didn't punch the clone. He didn't throw a kunai, he didn't even _touch_ it. So how was he...?' Kakashi blinked, focusing his sharingan. There was something moving with Naruto, something fast and almost invisible. And small. 'Small... no. Thin. Are those...?' He thought with astonishment.

Zabuza snapped a seal, creating another Mizu Bunshin, ordering it mentally to stop toying with the young genin and simply skewer him.

The clone swung his Zanbato down.

"...NO!" Kakashi shouted as the sword went for the unprotected torso.

Naruto went down, falling into the water.

"All talk, in the end," Zabuza snorted, "though he had guts. I have to give you credit for teaching your students, Copycat. Well, this one at least. Seems he understood what it meant to be a ninja after all..." The nukenin frowned, looking at the water.

'Odd... No blood? But the sword hit him, I saw it, so...?'

His eyes widened and he looked down.

"...WHAT?!"

The water erupted behind him, several orange-clad silhouettes jumping from the river.

The Mizu Bunshin growled, quickly stepping to cover Zabuza's back and swinging the sword, impaling the closest 'Naruto'... who grinned.

And exploded.

Kakashi felt his jaw drop.

'...that was the Bunshin Daibakuha! But that's a jounin technique! How in the world...?!'

Zabuza hastily made a seal for another clone, only to blink.

'...under water AGAIN? But-'

The water exploded upwards and Zabuza dodged, reaching for his Zanbato, his other hand still holding the Suirou.

He hastily cut through the nearest orange clad silhouette, only for another two to appear and grab his sword.

'Trying to wrestle my weapon? From one of the Seven? Fool. And here I thought he might be worth something...'

"Useless." He snorted, his arm overpowering the clone's grip and cutting both in half. "My strength is superior. Though I have to say I-" He stopped, his eyes widening as he felt his sword moving oddly... sluggishly.

The steel glinted in Naruto's teeth, as well as on his hand, spun tightly and cutting into Naruto's face and hands as the blond tightened it mercilessly.

"You talk too much!" growled Naruto through the mouthful of wire, pulling on the wires around the giant weapon, bringing it down.

"Smart," Zabuza said appreciatively. "But as I said... my strength is greater than yours." He snapped the sword up, breaking through the metal strings with some difficulty. "I can simply-"

"You can FUCKING DIE!" roared Naruto, making a single seal.

Zabuza blinked with surprise as he felt several hands grabbing his ankles.

He looked down, only to curse as he saw several clones snarling at him. Several clones with sizzling explosive notes all round them.

The explosion consumed the lake.

Sneering, Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth, several long, bleeding gashes on his palms. The blond scowled he saw the tell-tale log of Kawarimi floating in the center.

"Overkill. But you almost succeeded." Zabuza said appreciatively, singed and smoking slightly from the explosion. "Kid... I retract my statement. Unlike those two..." He indicated the Uchiha and the pink haired kunoichi who stood, shell shocked, on the ground by the lake. "You know how to fight. But you're still gonna die." He raised his Zanbato, breaking into a run.

Naruto lowered his head.

The Zanbato swung... only for his arm to be intercepted mid-swing.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Zabuza?" Kakashi said calmly, the sharingan eye spinning. "Your fight... is with me."

"Good job, Naruto." the jounin said, not taking his eyes of the Mist nukenin. "Now... Leave it to me."

The blond nodded...

...and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Zabuza's eye widened as he saw a blond silhouette climbing onto the bank, hands cut from the wires and burned from the explosions.

"I told you, you eyebrow less freak," Naruto smirked, the blood flowing freely from the wire-cut lips. "You won't kill me."

"...That... brat...! Surprising me like that so I released the jutsu..." Zabuza muttered angrily, though not without some grudging respect.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow.

"You didn't 'release' the jutsu Zabuza. You were forced to," he said calmly. "Now... what are you going to do?"

The nukenin sneered.

The fight was on.

---

The walk back was a tense affair, even if Kakashi had been victorious.

Tazuna was happy, but he stopped trying to strike a conversation long ago.

Naruto kept on walking, his hands bandaged by Sakura.

The injuries weren't as bad as they looked, but they were certainly serious. Naruto's palms looked to be burned, probably from some mistake with the explosive tag under water, but that was a minor concern.

His whole arms looked as if somebody took razors and started swinging with abandon. The countless cuts went from his palms up to his elbows. His mouth was also cut, his lips a grotesque sight, especially when he smiled. His jumpsuit was a write-off, barely holding together, as were his sandals, severely damaged by the fight, the wires, or Zabuza's sword.

The blond apparently not only got more than nicked by the sword, he was pummeled by Zabuza's punches and kicks. Sakura was no expert, but from the way the blond favored his right side and the giant bruise there, she guessed Naruto might have some broken ribs.

But even that was a minor concern.

Sakura glanced nervously at her other teammate.

Sasuke... Sasuke didn't say a word. Not one. He just kept staring at their blond comrade's back with such intensity that Sakura expected Naruto to spontaneously combust any moment now.

She also bit her lip, restraining herself from pointing out the fact that Sasuke's nails gouged several bleeding marks into his palms.

But the worst was Naruto.

Naruto who didn't gloat. Didn't smile. Didn't laugh. Naruto who didn't even comment on 'his Sakura-chan' doing first aid on his battered, bruised body.

Naruto who took the remnants of the wire and kept it in his palms, staring blankly forward as they walked as he kept twirling the wire in his fingers.

Without a word.

Sakura looked at Naruto's back. The jacket was gone, it was too ripped and it basically fell apart. The shirt fared marginally better, though it was still cut up and stained red all over. The bandaged forearms looked oddly like sleeves, also stained with red in several places.

Sakura was no medic nin and there were a lot of cuts.

The hitai-ate was also a loss. The steel plate survived mostly intact, but the scarf holding it was mostly destroyed in the fight and the material simply couldn't hold any longer. Naruto being Naruto, he refused to put it in his pocket and made Sakura weave it into the bandages over his right arm.

She grumbled, she complained... But she did so anyway.

Naruto thanked her. He smiled briefly and looked at her.

At that moment Sakura felt...

There was no describing it.

For the first time in her life, she noticed just how deep and how blue Naruto's eyes were. As she watched his gaze soften as he looked at her she suddenly felt flushed and light headed, unable to tear her gaze away from his.

She still felt that odd, sudden warmth each time she looked at him and remembered those eyes gazing into hers.

...only... Why did she have strangest feeling that when he looked at her... he didn't see her at all?

The rest of the road to the Wave was a tense affair.

And a silent one.

---

"...so you see, Zabuza might be alive. No. He probably is alive."

"But Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura protested. "You checked his body yourself!"

"I did, but..." Kakashi shook his head. "That was probably the momentary death."

Naruto blinked.

"...needles..."

Kakashi blinked, before nodding slightly.

"Yes. They are used in acupuncture, not only as a weapon. Hunter-nins know a lot about anatomy, so putting Zabuza into a momentary death state would be easy. Also by the fact that he carried Zabuza, who is heavier than him, and didn't destroy his body..."

"Aren't you overreacting?" Tazuna said skeptically.

"No. There is too much suspicion. We must prepare. Zabuza being dead or not aside, Gato is a rich man. He can have more shinobi on his payroll."

The team reluctantly nodded.

"So... About the preparations... What are we going to do?" Sakura said unsurely. "I mean, you can't move, sensei and..."

"Heh." Kakashi smiled. "You guys are going to receive training."

The genin blinked.

"But... We... We are just genin, right?" Sakura fidgeted. "We can't fight against a jounin who gave even you trouble, right?"

"Oh?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking at Naruto. "Could have fooled me."

Sakura blinked, before flushing. Sasuke just scowled.

"By the way, Naruto... You have improved a lot." Kakashi smiled. "I guess training alone pays off, right?"

Naruto blinked.

"But... Your actions were reckless." Kakashi's eye hardened. "Going against ninja of Zabuza's class like that... Don't do something like this ever again."

"But...!"

"No buts, Naruto," Kakashi cut off the blond's protest. "The fact that you pulled it off was more blind luck than skill. Facing him head on was stupid, even more so facing him alone. You should have at least taken Sasuke with you - you'd have a better chance that way. If Zabuza didn't underestimate you, you'd be _dead_."

The blond flinched.

"So would you," Naruto snapped. "Some great jounin, getting caught like that... I worked with what I had!"

Kakashi blinked owlishly.

Naruto was irritable but... he'd expect this sort of answer from Sasuke. Not the happy idiot.

...or was he?

Kakashi's eye narrowed.

Naruto had shown some good strategic and tactical thinking fighting Zabuza. As well as some skills that he shouldn't know. That Bunshin... Well, that he could have learned from the Scroll of Seals. But where did he learn the water walking?

And since when did Uzumaki Naruto had enough chakra control to use water walking, do two distinctively different jutsu, and fight at the same time?

Scratch that - since when did Uzumaki Naruto, famed for the worst chakra control he had encountered in a genin, have enough control to even _attempt_ water walking?

There was something about it... something that unsettled him.

He was happy that his student made such progress, but...

'Wires... They weren't combat wires, but...' He frowned. 'Who could have taught him that? There are no wire specialists in Konoha, the art died out during the last Shinobi War. I doubt even Cloud trains anyone in it anymore, since it is so damn troublesome. Also, that was advanced explosive work. He timed the explosions perfectly. Where did he learn that?'

The fight with Zabuza... There was something about it. Something that kept going at the edge of his memory, but escaping it somehow.

Naruto was a little bit too strong for his peace of mind. Not that he didn't like that, but that kind of change didn't happen overnight. And Naruto never snapped like that.

"Naruto, I don't deny that you have done some impressive things, but it was still reckless. Remember what I teach you. You are a team, teamwork is paramount."

"...yeah, yeah..." The blond grumbled, looking away.

Kakashi just sighed.

"Anyway, since I need to get you ready, I will make you go through some special training."

"Special?" Naruto perked up.

"Yup," Kakashi smirked.

"Heh... Sounds like fun," the blond grinned.

Sasuke just 'hnned' and Sakura fidgeted.

"Hey, mom... Who are they?"

Team Seven turned to see a small kid in a hat, his eyes looking far older than they should be.

"Inari," Tsunami smiled. "Those are ninjas who protected grandpa! They will help us against Gato, you'll see!"

Inari stared at the bed-ridden jounin, then at the battered looking genin.

"Mom... they're gonna die," the kid said without a second look.

"...huh?" Sakura blinked. 'What did he...?'

Sasuke scowled, before snorting.

Kakashi just sighed.

But Naruto's reaction was the biggest surprise.

The blond lowered his head, hands clenched.

"...die?"

"You can't win against Gato. The guy has thugs and ninja. You will all just die," the kid said matter-of-factly.

"...Naruto...?" Sakura said, touching her teammate's arm, only to take a step back as Naruto looked at Inari, an odd mix of anger and determination in them.

Inari's eyes widened as his hat flew off his head, something silvery glinting in the air for a briefest of seconds.

"Listen, and listen well, you brat," Naruto hissed. "Gato won't kill me. Zabuza won't kill me. Gato can hire an entire fucking _army_ of Zabuzas for all I care. I. WON'T. DIE. Get it, you coward? Until I see... Until I-" He closed his mouth, nearly boiling in rage. Sakura tried to restrain her teammate, only to be frozen in place by a murderous killer intent rolling of Naruto in waves. "I won't die. I can't die." the blond growled, then stormed out of the house.

"...Naru...to...?" Sakura looked at the door her blond teammate vanished with wide eyes and Kakashi just sighed.

Sasuke, on the other hand, looked at the blond with an odd, thoughtful gaze.

---

Naruto growled, feeling the anger boiling inside him.

'That brat... That fucking... I...' His hands clenched.

'Die?'

He shuddered in rage as _that_ flashed in front of his eyes.

He didn't know what to make of it, really.

Those honey-brown eyes he _knew_ he should remember... Seeing them tearful and in a haze of red... It hurt. It hurt so much... And filled him with such a damn desperate need, such raw hunger and...

Naruto froze mid-step.

'...this... Oh kami... is it...?'

He lowered his head.

IT.

That something he couldn't name, that strange pull, that strange need, that raw hunger...

Thinking about those eyes in tears... hurt. But...

"...this is...this is IT," Naruto breathed.

Ever since he could remember, it was there. It pulled, it cajoled, it screamed and pulled... and now...

He laughed out loud, throwing his head back.

For some reason, even if seeing that... memory? Vision?

Whatever it was. It hurt. But IT felt good, as if it got a hint of ITS fix for the moment. Purring contentedly deep in his mind instead of screaming at him to _move_, to _go_, to...

Uzumaki Naruto kept on laughing madly in the middle of the street.

---

Kakashi blinked.

"Well, seems Naruto isn't here. But I can't wait on him to get back, so..." He turned to Sasuke and Sakura."I'm going to teach you something that will help you improve and will become a very crucial ability as shinobi."

Sasuke smirked.

'That dobe... He got lucky with Zabuza. Skipping training? Heh. He needs all the help he can get.'

What he saw at that lake... It was mostly luck. It _had_ to be.

Because Naruto couldn't have improved like that in such a short time... could he?

---

Naruto groaned looking at his ripped sandals, t-shirt and pants.

'...and I liked it so much, too...' He thought glumly.

The blond sighed, looking at his pouch. He had some spare shirts and other stuff, but not pants or jacket. So... he needed to buy some.

He winced.

'I hope we get a good payoff for this mission...'

He looked around.

The Wave was poor, but the market district still worked. Somewhat.

The clothes for sale were simple, cheap and he had yet to find something that wasn't either white or some variation of gray, black or dark blue. White for him didn't even enter into equation.

'Bleagh! Like vanilla pudding...'

He looked for something orange, but...

'Well, I need clothes, so...'

He walked into the store.

"Yes, can I...?" The girl looked up from a book, only to gasp as she saw Naruto. "Um... Are you... quite all right?" she asked nervously, eying the bandages and cuts on the ninja's face.

"Yup!" Naruto nodded, smiling, which made the woman cringe. "Never better! Say, I wondered if you have something in my size...?"

The young woman smiled, the odd, somewhat disturbing sight of the cut lips forgotten in lieu of a potential customer.

---

"...I kind of look as if I was going to a funeral," Naruto muttered, looking at his reflection.

"Nonsense!" the saleslady said cheerfully. "You're a ninja, aren't you? What kind of ninja dresses in bright colors?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, but he restrained himself.

He had to admit, that it didn't look THAT bad. The pants were black and slightly baggier than what he was used to, but they also had reinforced pockets that could double as holders for kunai holsters after the woman made some on-the-spot alterations. From what she told him, they were typical worker pants - sturdy, very hard to damage, and able to withstand plenty of rough treatment.

The shirt was from the same material as was the jacket. Both were simple in cut, no frills or marks. And not a smidge of color other than black.

He sighed.

'Well, beggars can't be choosy I guess.'

It's not like he didn't have money for something else, but the colors were mostly drab anyway, and other outfits that fit him were... well, the less said about them the better.

"It ain't orange... But it'll do," he decided.

"So... you'll buy it? You WILL?" the girl said happily.

"... uh, yeah?" Naruto blinked.

"Oh that's... that's good! That's... very good!" She nodded quickly, fidgeting slightly. "I wonder... If I might... No... I..."

Naruto looked at the girl with puzzlement.

For some reason her troubled fidgeting made him uneasy and tired at the same time.

He was called hyperactive, but the way that girl fidgeted right now...

"...Uh, you can just tell me, okay?"

"Well, since you are shinobi, I guess you will be going through many sets of clothes..." she said hesitantly.

Naruto looked at her blankly.

The girl deflated.

"Sorry..." She uttered, clearly embarrassed.

Naruto looked at the store, a sudden understanding filing him.

He had been here for a good part of the hour, waiting for alterations but... nobody came. And the shelves, while clean and well kept... most clothes looked like they were there for a long time.

"...Hey, nee-chan... How many of those outfits do you have?" Naruto smiled widely at the woman's wide eyed gaze.

---

'Well, it looks like it's that place that saleslady said to go to.'

Naruto frowned, looking at the workshop.

"Hey, anybody there?" He knocked on the frame.

"Easy, easy... Damn, young people have no patience now..." sounded a grumpy voice from the workshop. A moment later a large, if old man emerged from the depths of the shop, rubbing his hands clean with a rag. "Whatcha need, kid?"

"I ain't no kid!" Naruto bristled.

The blacksmith looked down on the blond, opening his mouth, before he noticed the hitai-ate.

'Shinobi? Konoha, too.'

"Whatever." He waved his large hand dismissively. "Whatcha need? One of those sharpened or something?" he pointed at the holsters.

"No, I... well, that might not be a bad idea," Naruto said thoughtfully. "But I need wire first."

The blacksmith blinked.

"Wire? You came to my workshop for wire?"

"Well, you deal in metal, right?"

"Kid... I'm a _blacksmith_. If you want some wire, go to the market."

"Been there. All the wire there is either too stiff, or too..." Naruto winced remembering the 'testing' he gave in one of the shops that had him thrown out. "It kinda breaks easily. I need something sturdier, but flexible. Something like... Thin, but heavy enough. Flexible but strong." he said, his eyes looking around for something to use as an example.

The blacksmith's eyebrows shot up with surprise.

'Elastic, but heavy. Strong, but... Where have I heard something like that bef- OH, of COURSE!'

"Say no more, kid," he said with understanding. "I reckon I know what you're talking about. I don't usually make weaponry, but I happened to make some of what you're describing a long time ago, during the wars." He looked at Naruto's forehead protector thoughtfully. "In fact... I think he was one of yours. A Konoha nin."

"Really?" Naruto said puzzled. He was going after a hunch. He had no idea, really, but he needed some wire anyway. He used all of it fighting with Zabuza. And Zabuza broke it easily as hell. So something sturdier wouldn't be bad - something more flexible as well.

"Yeah," the Blacksmith nodded. "Not my usual fare, but I did manage." He frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm... I wonder..." He looked at Naruto. "Come on in, kid. We'll see what I can do."

---

Naruto looked, wide eyed.

He never really wondered where kunai, shuriken, or even the wire he used came from. He just bought them.

But watching the old smith working his magic... Well, that was impressive. Not as impressive as some jutsu, but still _damn_ awesome.

Who knew you had to use acids to created decent wire?

He always thought it was just... hammering stuff. He had no idea how much time did they spend in the workshop, but it was enough for the sun to shift over the horizon considerably. Not that Naruto paid any attention, really.

"So... is it ready?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah. So you can stop asking every ten minutes," the old man grumbled. "Now give me your gloves, I'll fasten it for you."

Naruto blinked owlishly.

"...what gloves?"

---

Naruto flexed his hands thoughtfully, looking at two black, fingerless gloves.

The metal rings around his hands and knuckles were sewn in nicely, almost invisible. The nee-chan from the shop came through once again.

Only the wrist and the ends of the cut-off finger sections were visible, but the metal was matte anyway and had no shine to speak of.

"They kinda look like the ones Kakashi-sensei uses... Only with a little bigger plate," he murmured, before grinning. "Kinda cool, old man!"

The blacksmith just palmed his face.

"Are you _sure_ you can use those?" he asked suspiciously.

"Sure I can!" the blond said enthusiastically. 'I think...'

The blacksmith looked at him for along moment, before shrugging.

"Hell, you're the client, brat. Don't go back to me when you poke your eye or strangle yourself, though."

"No sweat, old man!"

"...and don't call me old man!"

---

Naruto walked back to Tazuna's house, looking at his gloved palms thoughtfully.

The rings were sealed, except for one.

'This... Kinda sucks. But...' He winced, rubbing his bandages. 'I guess he's right. And it's not like I can't open the rest if I _really_ need to...'

He had no idea that you could use wire this way. Or that they were an actual weapon. Oh sure, he got lessons about the use of the garrote - wire _was_ one of the shinobi tools, for traps and whatnot.

But when he had used it against Zabuza, it was on instinct. It just seemed like a good idea. Tie the explosive note - cool. Pretty standard.

Fighting against Zabuza on that river...

He didn't really think, back then. He was just pissed.

Oh he had a vague plan, yes. But he was running purely on instinct and years of pranking the Konoha village right under ANBU noses.

Wire... now that was weird. He just used it. When he saw that sword, the way to deal with it just appeared in his mind, jumping out of his head fully grown and all. He was quite proud of himself, really.

But now he found that that people actually used stuff like that?

The blond spun the ring 'out', letting the wire come out. He waved his hand back and forth, before slashing to the side.

Wide eyed, he watched the slivery blur rip the leaves apart.

'Coooool...' Naruto thought, before yelping and ducking under the wire as his hand tugged it back. 'Crapcrapcrapcrap! How do I...' His palm turned, moving without a thought, snapping the wire back.

"...Oh."

'But... How did it...?'

Naruto frowned.

Normal wire didn't behave that way.

Snapping back would give it some momentum, but... it was as if he was moving a finger instead of steel.

Now Naruto wasn't stupid.

Something was up. Though damned if he knew what. And that wire felt _damn_ natural. More, it felt... it felt like that time he lit up the lake with those explosive notes. Good.

Very good.

"...what the hell is going on?" he muttered, staring at his hands.

---

TBC...

---


	2. Chapter 2

Edited by Skelethin 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

---

"Links."

---

"You have missed the training."

Naruto looked at his teacher blankly.

"Naruto..." Kakashi sighed, "I know you have made some impressive leaps forward, however you are a member of a team."

The blond just winced.

"You need to think about more than yourself, Naruto."

"Like Sasuke?" Naruto snarked.

Kakashi looked at Naruto blandly.

"Sasuke at least was there when I ordered him to."

The blond clenched his fists.

Kakashi just shook his head slowly and threw a kunai at the nearest tree.

"Climb," he said calmly.

Naruto looked at the jounin, puzzled.

Kakashi just looked at the boy.

The blond shrugged, walking up to the tree and grabbing a branch, only to yelp as a kunai almost cut his hand.

"Do you take me for an idiot, Naruto?" Kakashi said blandly. "I saw the water walking. Climb. Like shinobi would."

Naruto blinked.

'What is that bastard talking ab-'

He frowned.

'Wait...'

Water walking... Oh yeah. Now he remembered. That time fighting Zabuza and...

His eyes widened.

'Holy SHIT!'

But how to use that to-

He blinked.

'...why is everything upside down?'

He looked up... wait, no. _Down_ at Kakashi, who was looking at him without a word.

The Copycat nodded slowly.

'I knew it.' he thought. 'Question is... who is teaching him? Iruka? Possible, but... Iruka knows nothing of wire combat. It is exotic and few nins have both the speed and control. Interesting.'

Kakashi nodded at Naruto.

"I want to see you here tomorrow. With the rest of the team." he said, walking away.

The blond scowled, watching as Kakashi left.

"Bastard," he muttered, "I save his ass and that's the thanks I get?"

Naruto looked at the branch he was hanging off for a moment.

'How the hell do I get o- OOOOH SHIT!'

The tree was rather high... and he was falling head down.

'Ohcracohcrapohcra-... twing?'

He blinked as he watched the silvery wire grip the thickest branch, slowing down his fall.

'...huh?'

His hand jerked sharply and he didn't waste any time, using chakra to stick to the bark...

'...wait... all that speed will have to go somewhere...'

His eyes widened as he almost touched the bark.

The wire let go, his legs touched the tree...

...And Naruto started sliding down, the chakra holding him on the tree, but allowing the movement, bleeding off the speed and kinetic energy.

Halfway down, Naruto simply jumped off the tree, using the nearest branch, and got down.

The blond looked at his feet.

Then at the bark.

Then at his feet again.

"...Coooool..." He breathed out.

He looked at the forest with a gleam in his eye, before smirking.

"HELL YEAH!"

The wires glinted briefly, catching the nearest branch.

He broke into a run.

---

Naruto stood in the clearing both hands outstretched and unmoving, save for the palms, which twitched occasionally.

It would seem odd, if not for the fact that from time to time two metal strings glinted in the afternoon sun, going back and forth, slashing and weaving around him.

The wires, as Naruto found, were _fast_.

After the initial 'release' from the gloves, even the slightest twitch was enough to keep them in motion.

He also found, to his chagrin, just _why_ the gloves had the armor plate and the mesh sewn in.

If he moved wrong... the wires came back. Fast. And painful.

He winced, spitting some blood.

It was amazing just how hard some metal string could hit when it moved fast enough.

He eyed the tree he had been practicing on. The mighty oak looked worse for wear, its lower branches now almost completely devoid of leaves and the thinner branches Naruto sliced off or broke. But the thicker branches just had gouges. Thin gouges, if fairly deep.

'...so I guess I won't be cutting bones, huh?' he thought absently, before blinking.

Where did THAT come from?

Still... that was a potent weapon. And as dangerous to him as to anyone else.

He spat the blood again.

'It just had to hit me straight in the mouth, didn't it?' He scowled. But he really couldn't be all that angry. Not when he had such awesomely cool toys to play with.

The odd 'chakra climb' thing Kakashi had been so insistent on aside, the wires were great for transportation. Sure, he could run fast and jump. But grabbing the branch mid-jump and rapidly changing direction? Now that was beyond cool. Even if he fell down when the branch gave out.

'Ouh...' He winced, almost rubbing his head before remembering he had the wires out.

There was also another very weird thing he had noticed.

The wires moved. Well, he MADE them move, but...

When he used one to coil around a branch he halfway expected for it to slide off with a sharp tug. It didn't.

At first he though the steel had somehow tied itself into a knot, but when he got on that particular branch, he found it was not the case. The wire was simply coiled around it. Why it didn't simply slide off, especially when Naruto loosened the string, was a mystery.

He spent some time trying to get it off the branch, but it was no use. It was as if the bugger just glued itself to the wood. Then he looked at his legs. Legs that were sticking to the branch as he stood upside down on it.

He cut the flow of chakra. And fell. But the wire came off without even the slightest hint of trouble. That was just the beginning of the weirdness.

When he finally got tired of swinging through the trees like a monkey on crack...

'Or a spider.' He grinned.

He noticed that when he 'cut' the chakra...

Well, suddenly the wires became ungainly. Slower. And he almost ended with a mouthful of them when he tugged too hard.

His arms _still_ hurt like a bitch. Those buggers were nasty when they hit!

The biggest mystery was that he didn't even know he was doing it. It was as natural as breathing or walking. He didn't think 'Now I have to pool some chakra and let it stretch as I move my hand with the wire'. He just moved it.

It was like the Kage Bunshin now. When he learned it, and for a short time afterward, he had to think about doing it. Make the seal, mold the energy, let it flow into the seal, follow the pattern, and make the clone. Need more than one, follow the seal, pool more chakra and think on how many clones you need.

Now, after three months, it was seal - clone. Or clones. He barely thought about it. Naruto thought Kage Bunshin and he got clones.

It was the same with the wire.

He wanted it to go forward? Snap the wrist a little, feel a little bit of chakra flow through your arm and the wire moved. Want it to tie around the branch? Just let it go.

He found that chakra alone couldn't move the wires. But it seemed to... help them somehow, beyond simply sticking to things. If he didn't use any chakra, he could make the wire go forwards. Or backwards. Or up. Or down.

But if he wanted it to move _right_...

Absentmindedly, he snapped the wires to the side and cut one of the leaves from the branch. Then he 'snapped' the wire back, cutting it in half. A fraction of a second later, a second wire cut both pieces. Then cut them again.

Naruto watched the shredded pieces of the leaf fall down slowly.

It was like that.

He didn't think.

He went and just... moved the wire.

Damn, at times it seemed the blasted thing had a mind of its own!

Like now.

He wanted the leaf shredded? Wire to the rescue.

He also found that he had been doing it even before Kakashi's'lesson'. Because once he let the wires off their clasps and rings in the glove and started pooling them back in...

They didn't use clasps. Well, they did, but they somehow folded so neatly and so easily that just a snap of the wrist and some circular motion pulled them back where they belonged. Neatly. Without knotting.

He had found the answer rather fast just by cutting the chakra flow to his arms. The wire that wasn't secured just... fell off, hanging from its 'main' clasp.

"Weird shit..." Naruto muttered thoughtfully, before grinning. "But damn if it isn't cool!"

He moved his arm rapidly up, the wire following and gaining speed with the sharp motion, becoming nothing more than a nearly invisible blur.

"Wait till that Sasuke-bastard sees THIS!" Naruto crowed gleefully.

Screw that giant fireball thingy that Naruto was so envious of! THIS was the coolest thing since ramen!

Laughing, he snapped both arms out and the wire sang nearly inaudibly as it slashed the air rapidly, circling around Naruto.

It was scarcely more than a whisper, even to Naruto's sharp ears, but to him it was like the coolest song he had ever heard.

As the wire formed a circle that seemed to tighten around him, Naruto smiled lazily. Just as the metal seemed to almost touch his body, he snapped his hands up. With a hum of cut air the tightening spiral shot up, glinting in the sun as it passed around him.

Naruto snapped his hands to the side, giving the wire even more speed and closed his eyes. He could swear he could almost _feel_ the metal as it stretched. His eyes snapped open as he made a sharp forward and upward motion with his wrists.

The much abused bark cracked, falling off and leaving behind two deep gouges.

"Heh heh..." Naruto grinned. "I wonder..." He looked at the wood curiously, before a devious glint entered his eyes.

Carefully moving his arms in a slow pattern he watched as the wires' tips slashed into the wood. Some sweat appeared on his brow as he kept the wires moving _just_ right...

He snapped his hands back, twisting them, letting the wires slow down before he started 'pulling' them back.

The trick was far more difficult than it looked and he found that it went better when he didn't think much about it. The wires slowed down and Naruto 'tugged,' that was the only way he could describe it, on the metal with chakra alone.

He let the chakra flow as his wrists twisted to the side sharply. The wire pooled back, falling neatly into the rings and clasps on material of his gloves and over the plate on the wrist.

He would have to pool it correctly later by hand, since this was just a way to keep them out of the way for a moment. Normally, the wire would go into the 'rings', pooled mostly around them and under the glove, most going to the simple clasps on the wrist.

"Neat," he muttered with a smile that faded as he looked at the tree. "Damn..." The blond said in disappointment.

He wanted to carve a rough outline of a target shield, but all he had managed was roughly egg-shaped mess of scratches.

"...can't win them all, I guess..." he scowled, before perking up, "Still..." He put his palm in front of his face, the other hand stretched loosely on the side.

The whole... pose was odd, but he found that for 'releasing' the wires it was the best.

One hand in front of him to move up, forward or down, another to move to the side. Kinda weird, but it worked like a charm. He snapped the hands lazily, letting the wire loose. Not fast, just enough to be straight.

Naruto sighed, sitting on the ground.

'...and now for the most annoying part...' He scowled, carefully pooling the wire back, mindful to keep some chakra flowing into the wires at all times so they didn't get tangled up.

Still, as annoying as the whole thing was, it went fast. And it was relaxing. Even if he had to turn the rings each time he got some more wire in. The glove was very simple, the rings and clasps used to pool the wire around them, but doing it by hand was annoying.

'I wonder if there is a 'wire pool jutsu' or something like that...' he wondered absently as he finished, lying down on the ground.

He blinked, looking at the setting sun.

'I sure have been at it for a long time,' he thought with surprise. 'Still... this is SO cool!'

The blond closed his eyes with a smile. He felt tired. Not just physically, but mentally as well. While moving wires with the 'no thought' thing seemed easy enough, making them move like he wanted to... now that was whole another kettle of fish.

And for some reason each time he missed a target or the wires got off course, he was just so damn pissed...!

Far more than usual than when he failed. And he had no idea why.

Lazily, he tugged at his pouch, withdrawing an explosive note. It was one of the few he had left. He never used them much before so he had only the standard amount of them and he used most of his supply during the fight with Zabuza. But that was going to change.

He knew that they were useful for traps and all, but it never crossed his mind to use one in close combat.

Now that just seemed silly.

'Who knew that normal explosive tags could be so awesome?'

Zabuza was a jounin. A strong one, from what Kakashi said. A very strong one. And with some wires, some clones, and a shitload of tags Naruto almost had him.

Zabuza said so himself, so it had to be true. The eyebrow less freak sure didn't seem to be the one for giving praise, especially to 'worthless kids playing ninja.'

Naruto scowled.

'I'll show you, you bastard! Next time we meet I'll string you up like a ham and blow you to fucking PIECES!' He grinned savagely, staring at the note.

He held the slip of paper in front of himself, admiring the simple lines and almost tasting the explosive power of chakra that coursed within the small item.

'So small... only a few lines and BANG!' He frowned, sitting up.

He kept staring at the tag.

It was like every other store-bought tag. Simple, elegant, and destructive. The same he used in the academy, though those had low yield explosive power.

This one was identical, just more powerful.

Still it was the very same thing and Naruto got intimately familiar with it since he flunked the 'explosive handling course' in the academy nearly three times.

But... something bugged him. He had no idea what.

Naruto bit his lip, staring at the paper.

The blond turned it upside down. Then twirled it slowly in his fingers. Then looked at it again.

"...the hell?" he muttered, squinting to look at it carefully.

Naruto traced the lines of the seal slowly, looking at it closely.

'...the side looks a bit odd...' He traced the line until its end and then his finger kept on going, slowly tracing additional circles with a spiral that touched the 'exit' point on the tag, where it had been charged with chakra.

'...I wonder if there is a way to add more power...?' He wondered absently. 'And the explosion is wasteful if it doesn't go in the right direction so...'

He blinked.

"...huh?"

He had an idea but... didn't Iruka-sensei say that some jounin actually altered their tags? Or made their own?

"I wonder if Kakashi knows how to do it?" he pondered out loud, staring at the note.

If the tags had more power back then, on that lake, Zabuza would never managed to escape as well as he did, that Naruto was sure of.

"Now that might be cool..." he muttered, staring at the tag for a few more moments, before putting it back in his holster.

He laid back, stretching on the soft grass. The sky was dark now, the first stars twinkling merrily. He blinked looking up at the moon, glowing brightly in the cloudless sky.

'It is going to be full moon in a few days...' The boy thought lazily.

Naruto brought his hand up, tracing a rough outline of an explosive note before snapping his fingers.

"Bang, you old traitor..." He whispered.

He let the hand fall, closing his eyes and just laid there, a faint smile on his face.

"Hello."

His eyes snapped open, but even before then his fingers released the rings.

He blinked, looking at the wide eyed girl who kneeled next to him, both her hands tangled in his wire.

Naruto looked at her dumbly, noticing the simple kimono and a small basket that fell to the ground.

"...oh," he muttered with embarrassment, letting the wires loose and snapping them back. "Oh man! I'm sorry!" he apologized nervously, quickly grabbing her hands and inspecting them.

The wires were nasty, if he cut her...

The girl blinked at the sudden proximity of the young shinobi.

"Sorry, sorry... At least nothing is broken," Naruto said sheepishly, looking at her pale hands.

There were some marks, but only red ones, from the pressure. No skin had been cut, thankfully.

"...oh... No... problem," she said hesitantly, looking at the hands that still held hers in a warm grip.

Naruto followed her gaze and blushed, letting her go and scrambling back.

"Sorry!" he blurted out.

The pale, dark haired girl smiled.

"No problem. I should have thought before I surprised a ninja," she nodded.

Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"Still... Sorry. I overreacted. Kinda." He blinked. "And how did you know...?"

She pointed at his hitai-ate, still tied to his belt.

"...oh..." Naruto blushed, feeling like an idiot. 'I need to get that repaired...'

"I'm Haku." She bowed slightly.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He bowed back.

Haku watched with interest as Naruto's hands automatically put the wire back in its place.

"That is an... interesting weapon," she murmured, "Do all shinobi use something like this?"

Naruto frowned, looking at his gloves thoughtfully, before looking at Haku.

"I have no idea!" he said cheerfully. "But it's cool, isn't it?"

Haku smiled faintly.

"Yes. Is it for... catching people?" she asked.

"Well, I guess," he shrugged. "But it can do many other cool things!"

She looked at him quizzically.

Naruto grinned.

"Don't move," he said, snapping his wrists.

Haku's eyes widened as something moved around her.

She almost jumped back, only training and surprise holding her in place.

The wires arced and Naruto made a lazy snap.

Haku blinked, looking at the small basket previously off to the side, now lying in her lap.

"Neat, ain't it?" Naruto smiled widely.

Haku nodded slowly.

'When he used the wires against Zabuza-sama... Was it like that? But... Those are different. And he didn't have the gloves. Did he lose them then? Or simply didn't have time to prepare? But that's preposterous. Fighting against a jounin as strong as Zabuza-sama one uses every advantage he has. He must have had them before.'

"You are very good," she praised him.

"Yep! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm gonna be..." He halted, smile dropping. "I..." He halted, frowning. For some reason... He couldn't shout 'HOKAGE!' like he usually did. "I... I will..." He trailed off.

Haku looked at him curiously.

"Is something the matter?"

"No... yes... I don't know," he said slowly. "I just... Eh. No matter." He shook his head. "That's my problem."

"Oh." She blinked. "Sorry for prying, then."

"Nah." The genin smiled widely. "You ain't. I'm just confused lately. Everything's so... weird." He looked at his gloved palms, flexing them. "Just... a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Well... I don't want to pry into your matters but..." She looked at him with a smile. "Sometimes sharing a problem makes the load lighter."

Naruto looked at her oddly.

She cocked her head.

'Does he suspect something? No. My cover is flawless, but... I need to know more! Those two genin are no threat but that boy... He is far too dangerous for a simple genin. Even Zabuza-sama thinks so.'

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," She smiled apologetically. "I mean, it is your life and..." She grabbed the basket, and Naruto shook his head rapidly.

"No! It's not like that at all!" He denied fervently. "It's just... nobody ever wanted to... talk like that with me..." he said softly.

"Oh..." Haku sat back down, slow understanding blooming in her eyes.

The way that the blond boy said it... There was that quiet but familiar pain she knew all too well. Loneliness.

Like before Zabuza-sama came into her life.

"Don't worry. It won't be any trouble at all," she reassured him gently.

Naruto smiled hesitantly.

---

"...And that Sasuke is SUCH a bastard! I mean... so he's from some elite clan and shit... err, sorry," he blushed and she chuckled. "Still it's 'hnn' this, 'dobe' that... what the HELL does Sakura-chan sees in him?" he muttered. "Some great ninja... FEH!" The blond snorted. "And who saved Kakashi's ass on that lake when he stood like a prissy little princess?"

"Oh my. Now he certainly seems like a... troublesome boy," Haku admitted.

'More than troublesome. An Uchiha. Without the sharingan from the looks of it, but still... Zabuza-sama must know about this.'

Naruto, as she found out, was an excellent source of information, even if he didn't know all that much. But being an excellent source of information aside, he was surprisingly amusing and Haku found their conversation more than pleasant. For some reason she felt a great kinship with the blond.

There was a carefully hidden loneliness and pain in those eyes, as well as something else. Something frantic, something wild and lost at the same time. His eyes looked like the eyes of one of the puppies she saw on the streets, when the animal wailed for its dead master.

"I don't know why he would call you a 'dead last'?" she asked the blond with puzzlement. "You seem to have plenty of skill. Facing a jounin... and even those odd wires... is he really so good?"

"NO WAY! I'm better than that ass- er... bastard any day!" Naruto denied vehemently, "It's just he was top rookie in our year and all around 'genius' so he thinks he is so much better than anyone else," the blond scowled. "It didn't help him with that eyebrow less freak one bit, tough. And where is the 'top rookie' now, eh?" he said gleefully.

Haku laughed, before blinking.

She looked at the ground, then at Naruto's arm, her eyes widening.

"Naruto-san!"

Naruto looked at her.

"Please... give me your hand." she instructed, reaching into her basket.

"...huh?"

"You're bleeding," she informed him curtly.

Naruto looked at his arms and winced.

Somehow, during the training the bandages loosened and now as he kept gesturing and showing off to Haku, the half-healed wounds reopened. The bandages were soaked and finally started leaking the red fluid.

He rolled up his sleeves hurriedly, reaching for his roll of bandages, only for his arm to be gripped by a deceptively delicate hand in a vice like grip.

"Please do sit still," the girl informed him calmly.

"But..." he protested.

"Be. Still." she said coldly, before smiling sweetly, "Please."

Naruto swallowed heavily.

For such a beautiful girl she could be _damn_ scary.

He watched with interest as she expertly took of the bandages and reached into her basket. His nose twitched as something registered at the edge on his consciousness. Something about that smell and the way she was moving was... familiar.

"Marigold, bilberry, arnica..." he muttered, eyes somewhat glazed, "You a medic?"

Haku looked at him, halting for a second.

"You know those herbs?" she said with surprise.

"I..." he blinked, "I do?" He looked at the herbs, his eyes glazing again. "Marigold... for speeding up the healing... Bilberry to help the wound knit... Arnica for sprains, to treat inflaming, and..." He blinked again. "...huh, whaddaya know... I _do_ know them," he said with wonder.

"That you do..." she muttered, frowning.

The plants were common, but only qualified medics and medic nins knew just what they were good for. And he recognized them right away just by smell and look.

"You never told me you were given any medical training," she said carefully.

"I wasn't... I just..." He shook his head slowly. "It's weird..." he whispered, looking at the wounds and sliding his gaze down to the glove. "Like that..."

She looked at the glove curiously, and then at him questioningly.

He kept staring into space, eyes oddly glazed.

"Haku... do you get a feeling... a persistent feeling that you are supposed to be DOING something... but you don't know what it is? That there is something... someone out there that you NEED to see? That there is this... this raw NEED..." He clenched his fists desperately. "To hold... and never let go?"

Her eyes widened as she nodded slowly.

"I... Not like that... But I have a person who is... very precious to me," she said haltingly, her shinobi instincts warring with her conscience. "If he went away... I think I'd feel like that."

"I see it sometimes..." he muttered and Haku realized he wasn't talking to her or anyone else in particular. ⌠I see... it is a woman and... She has the most fantastic eyes of honey and gold. Each time I close my eyes I can see them and..." He shook his head, blushing slightly. "Sorry. Weird talking. I've felt weird this whole week." he muttered.

"No. Not at all. Nothing to be sorry for. Having a precious person like that," Haku smiled, fastening the bandages. "It makes you stronger, I think. To hold and never let go... Be by their side forever... Yes. I can understand that very well."

Naruto had a sudden flash of insight, looking at the amassed herbs.

"The herbs... they are for your precious person?" he said slowly.

Haku stiffened, before relaxing.

"Yes. He is... sick now. But he will get better," she smiled, "And I will keep on helping him."

Naruto nodded, watching the girl get up to leave.

Haku stopped on the edge of the clearing, looking at him.

"I hope you will find the person you are looking for, Naruto," she smiled. "And by the way... I am a boy."

Naruto blinked.

"...No you aren't," he said.

She turned, rising an eyebrow.

"Boys have Adam's apples," he grinned. "And I have yet to see a boy who has a pair of breasts."

She blinked.

Naruto tugged his shirt, just below the chest.

Haku looked down and blushed, tightening the kimono.

Naruto blushed, but laughed.

Somehow... Haku found it in herself to laugh as well, despite the embarrassment.

"Hey, Haku... can we meet again?" he asked finally, as the laughter died down. "I'm here for some time so..."

"Oh I think we will meet again, Naruto," she looked at him, her smile oddly sad. "In fact, I know we will."

The blond smiled.

"Cool! I'll show you more tricks next time!" he said exuberantly.

"I'm sure you will." she said softly, walking out of the clearing.

---

Naruto blinked sleepily, stretching as he woke up.

"...man, does Tsunami-san have soft beds and..." He blinked feeling an odd tug on his hands as he stretched them.

"...Huh?"

He opened his eyes and looked at the morning sky.

"...What the hell?"

The blond frowned, turning to get a better look.

"There is that twist again, what the..."

He froze.

He looked forward.

"A tree."

He looked left.

"Another tree."

He looked down.

"...WHAT THE HELL?!" Naruto screeched.

He was... a long way up.

Between several trees that were close to each other. But not on any branch.

He had a sudden sinking feeling as he felt another tug at his palm and looked at his gloves. Then traced the wires. All ten, coming from his palms.

"...Oh fuck me..." The blond breathed.

The wires were pulled over the branches, corded and twisted forming a rough outline of a net. Or a spider's web.

It was a mystery to him how he didn't cut or at least bruise himself until he felt the familiar tingle of chakra as he touched the 'web'.

"...how did I do that?"

He looked down.

"Scratch that. How do I get OUT of it?"

He eyed the tangled mess of wires, some of them holding him loosely, but securely... and yelped as the ends of the seemingly secure strands seemed to just... let go.

"Oh SHIIIIII-!"

He desperately whipped his hand around to grab the nearest branch, and hit the tree.

"...Ouh..." Naruto winced, sliding down the bark.

He blinked, looking up.

The 'web' was gone.

The wires just untangled without any problems, as if simply coming apart.

"Why would they... not _knots_!" he realized. "CHAKRA!"

The blond walked down the tree, absently pooling the wires back into the gloves.

"Wires for grabbing a goddamn Mist nukenin. Wires for beating the shit out of leaves... and now for webs?" he muttered. "What the fuck am I, some kind of... of spider-man or something?!"

After Haku went away, Naruto had spent some time staring at the moon, before he realized it was time to go back.

The problem was he had no freaking idea where he was and it was a middle of the night and he was so tired he was a step away from falling asleep while standing. He dimly remembered making himself a 'bed' to spend the night and...

His eyes widened.

"...No WAY!"

He glared at the gloves.

"If I start growing extra legs I'll be blaming you, get it?"

---

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

"Morning Naruto," Sakura mumbled, her body going on auto pilot as she shoved the muesli into her mouth. "Any ramen?"

"...Go check with Tsunami-s-" she blinked, whipping her head at their blond teammate.

"...Naruto," she said, her eyebrow twitching.

"Yes?" The blond looked at her.

"Where the HELL were you for the whole day you IDIOT?!" she growled. "Scratch that, where the hell were you during the night?!"

"I made like a spider," Naruto nodded sagely, scowling as he found no ramen.

Muesli wasn't his favorite thing in the world but...

"Are you eating that?" he pointed at the bowl.

"Go get your own!" She cradled the bowl protectively, growling. That was _her_ breakfast, goddammit!

"Oh." He nodded.

Sakura blinked as something moved past her and a whole pack of tropical muesli (with dry banana, nuts and pieces of other dried fruits, just the way she liked it) flew by her.

"...Huh?"

Naruto uncoiled the wire and snatched the nearest clean bowl.

He threw a generous amount of muesli in and took the milk that stood on the table, pouring a little bit. He frowned thoughtfully, before snapping his fingers.

This time Sakura was able to see silvery glint as the wire went for the dish rack, snatching a large spoon.

Naruto smiled happily, attacking the muesli.

Sakura kept staring.

---

"Dobe." Sasuke greeted.

"Bastard." Naruto greeted back.

Both blinked at the sudden silence.

They looked at Sakura.

Who was looking at Naruto oddly.

Sasuke 'Hnn'ed.

Naruto shrugged.

Sakura blinked.

'Why are they staring at me?'

Her inner self sighed, tapping her leg.

"Oh. Right. Stop talking to Sasuke-kun like that Naruto." she said, going back to her muesli.

Both genin relaxed.

All was right with the world.

---

"Naruto."

The blond looked up from the gloves he had been fiddling with.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

'Curious. That looks as if...' He noticed the tell-tale 'rings' on the ends and some wire coming out of the one on the index finger. 'Wire gloves. A very simplistic design, though with a storage pocket. But an effective one, if basic.'

He saw similar ones, on the hands of very few ninja using those kinds of weapons. Jounin usually carried specifically crafted ones, with sturdier, chakra-enhanced wires allowing for greater control. But those were as expensive as chakra blades, more so in recent years since that particular weapon became so rare.

"New toy, I see."

The blond grinned.

"And a really awesome one!"

The Copycat looked at the wires.

"This is a very dangerous weapon, Naruto. For you more than the enemy," he cautioned. "A wire-using shinobi needs control, judgment, skill, and reflexes, otherwise it is not only useless but dangerous to its wielder. If you have to fight, stick to the kunai for now." He reached for his Icha Icha, only to blink as the book was snagged from his palm.

He looked at the blond who was holding the novel curiously.

It was blonde's turn to blink when the book vanished from his hands, as if by magic.

He looked at the mildly irritated copy nin.

Kakashi stared at his subordinate.

"...just be sure to keep practicing," he said finally, hobbling out of the room to get some well deserved reading done.

Copycat smiled under his mask.

Naruto was growing in a more surprising way he could have ever imagined.

But he still needed to ask Iruka just who taught him to handle the wires. He bet that the chuunin would know. And who taught the blond to keep the ace in the hole, even from his own teammates. It wasn't very courteous, but a very ninja thing to do.

Kakashi hated mysteries like that. Unless they were his, of course.

He opened the book, unmindful of Tsunami's curious glance, and started giggling madly, a small blush forming.

---

Naruto spun, the ground coming close faster with each moment.

The wires danced, grabbing the nearest branch and he changed his movement mid-air.

He smiled as he tugged on the wire sharply and kicked off the tree, barely touching it. His wires grabbed another branch, one higher, stretching in between the tree and the branch.

He jumped, sliding over the bark, snagging the wire away from the tree and spinning it back.

With one last kick off...

...he was on top.

He laughed.

He could have run up, but this was WAY cooler. And faster.

Naruto sat on the nearest branch, looking at the sky.

'Heh... Wait till I show Sasuke that.' He grinned.

Just like two days ago and the day before, he went off to train, as did Sasuke, while Sakura (who apparently mastered the training early) was sent with Tazuna to protect him. And Naruto... trained. And had tons of fun along the way, of course. That was, after all, the Naruto way.

He grinned, letting go off the tree, feeling the gravity claim him and opened his eyes, looking at the tree bark passing fast in front of him.

His grin widened.

The wires sang as they circled the tree.

Naruto tugged briefly, just enough to touch the bark with his feet... and let the chakra and the wire do the rest as he slid down.

'DAMN but it's fun!'

The speed was slower than the freefall, but still greater than anything he had experienced in his life. It made his heart pump blood faster, his grin widen, and excitement well up inside.

THAT was the stuff!

He was grinning from ear to ear as he touched the ground, snapping the wire back.

Naruto pooled it back into his glove, flexing his hands.

The days of (not really) rest and Haku's medicine worked wonders and his hands were mostly healed. His face was okay as well.

'Heh... I feel like a ton of ramen!'

He tugged on his gloves.

'My prrrrecious!'

Naruto grinned, hand behind his head as he walked back to Tsunami's house.

It was late anyway.

"Dobe."

Said dobe blinked, turning to see Sasuke, who looked as if he was wrestling with the foliage for the whole day. And lost.

"Bastard. Damn... You look like hell."

The Uchiha smirked.

"At least I train, instead of prancing through the forest... dead last moron."

"And who said I don't train, you bastard?" Naruto grinned. "Heh. I train all right. My training is AMAZING!"

"Amazingly stupid, maybe." Sasuke grunted.

Naruto scowled, but then took in Sasuke's battered appearance and smirked.

"Still trying to master the tree climbing trick?" he asked slyly.

"Trying? Feh," Sasuke smirked, "I mastered it."

"Oh did you?" There was an unholy glint in Naruto's eye.

Sasuke frowned.

As much as he didn't like it, he knew that glint. It was the same glint the dobe had before he had done some stunt that was either very stupid, or very risky. Or both.

"So whaddaya say we have a little race, eh?" Naruto grinned.

Sasuke snorted.

"I have you beat on speed any day of the week, idiot," he muttered. "It won't even be a contest."

"Oh come on, just one race." Naruto pointed at the trees. "We pick a tree, race up and then use branches. It is a straight shot to Tsunami's house, and it's not far. Whaddaya say?"

Sasuke shrugged, smirking again.

"If you want to lose so much..." he said with amusement. 'Heh. Stupid. He didn't even learn anything. What is he trying to accomplish? But if he wants to be beaten to the ground again, fine by me.'

"On three," Naruto suggested.

"One..."

"...two..."

"THREE!"

And they were off.

Sasuke ran up to the tree, not even bothering to watch his dead last teammate climb.

'I have this one in the bag... not that there was any doubt.'

He blinked as something fast and blond moved past him.

'...what...?'

His eyes widened as he saw Naruto run past him. On the tree.

'...no way! Running that fast without even a kick up... I just mastered it! How in the blazes...?!'

Then, right in the middle of the run, he blinked as he saw Naruto turning.

'...but there is no branch to jump to in that dir-'

He almost fell of the tree when he saw Naruto swiping his hand forward... and flying past Sasuke with a grin.

'Not flying!' Sasuke realized as he saw the gouge left by something thin but fast. '...that...!'

"See ya, Bastard!" Naruto cackled.

"AS IF!" Sasuke screamed, redoubling his efforts.

He was going to catch up to that blond idiot if it killed him!

The chase was on.

---

The doors to Tsunami's house opened.

"We're back!" Naruto said cheerfully.

Sasuke walked in just behind him, glaring at the blond's back.

"That was cheating!" he growled.

"No way! I just used what I had." Naruto laughed. "And you're just a sore loser, bastard!"

"That was cheating and you damn well know this!" the Uchiha heir growled through clenched teeth.

"...cheating?" Sakura blinked, before scowling as she took in Sasuke's battered, beaten up look. Why, Sasuke-kun had wigs in his fabulous, silky hair! And _cuts_ on his manly face!

'UNNNNNFORGIVABLE!' Inner Sakura snarled. 'WHAT HAD THAT BASTARD DONE TO MY DELICIOUS BISHIE?!'

Sakura turned to glare at Naruto. She opened her mouth angrily.

'Ooooh... But Naruto doesn't look bad...' Inner Sakura said in a dreamy voice.

Sakura froze.

Naruto had his new jacket unzipped, the high collar sticking up, the t-shirt out and somewhat messy. He had one hands in the pocket of those thick, but rather cool-looking pants, the other loosely by his side, the glove adding to the 'relaxed rogue' appearance. And he was smirking. Not grinning happily like an idiot but smirking, his blue eyes glinting in the artificial light like two sapphires. She never noticed just how those whisker marks made him look deliciously mischievous and roguish. And without the hitai-ate on his head... why, he looked almost like a younger, wilder version of the Yondaime!

'...oh my...'

Sakura closed her mouth.

For some reason... she just couldn't scream at the blond.

"...umm... what happened, guys?"

"I won. He," Naruto pointed at Sasuke, "lost. Now he's sulking."

"I'm NOT sulking! And I did NOT lose!" Sasuke grumbled. "Next time I'm going to use that damn wire and then we'll see just how pathetic you are." Sasuke grunted.

"Calm down and eat something," Kakashi said calmly, cutting off the argument. "I understand you completed the training?"

"Well I did. Dobe here kept prancing around the forest like the idiot he is," Sasuke muttered, sitting at the table.

"That dobe just won the race," Naruto said with a grin.

The Uchiha heir just gritted his teeth.

Kakashi nodded, ignoring the byplay.

"If so, then from tomorrow on, you will also be assigned to protecting Tazuna-san and the bridge."

The boys stopped their arguing and nodded seriously.

Inari's hands clenched.

"WHY DO YOU DO THAT?!" he exploded finally. "You keep trying, keep laughing, and keep saying... you guys are IDIOTS! Gato is too strong! And stronger always wins over the weaker! You are just gonna get kill-" Inari yelped as his plate just... fell apart, pieces exploding to the sides.

He froze, hearing something humming as it moved through the air at incredible speeds.

The wire glinted.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said warningly, eying the wire cautiously. His charge was still a genin. If he made even the slightest mistake┘.

"I've had ENOUGH of this goddamn sissy angsting like some tragic PRINCESS!" Naruto snarled. "Killed this, die that... Gato is strong, Gato will kill you... Shut the FUCK UP!"

Sakura got up.

"Naruto! That's en-!"

"You stay out of it!" Naruto snapped and Sakura just froze, her eyes becoming large as she gazed at Naruto's furious face. The blond turned to Inari. "I told you before. I won't die. I won't let anyone kill me, much less some fucking rich fatso and his eyebrow less freak of a thug. I said it, and I don't go back on my word. So cry all you want. Me? I'm going to survive and go forward at any cost," he glared at the child, his fists clenching. "People like you... make me SICK!" he hissed, walking away.

"Naruto! Come back here...!" Sakura screamed angrily. "Come back and apol-!" She stopped, feeling Kakashi's hand on her arm. The Copy nin shook his head. "Let it go," he said with resignation. "It might have been overboard but... Naruto has his reasons. Let it go, Sakura."

"But sensei...!" the girl protested.

Kakashi shook his head.

"Let him cool off," the jounin advised.

Inari, tears in his eyes, looked away, by chance coming face-to-face with Sasuke.

The Uchiha scion snorted, looking at the child.

"Coward." he muttered with disgust, turning back to his meal.

Inari rushed out of the room, tears falling.

Sakura looked at her crush with disbelief.

"Sasuke-kun... I... Wasn't that... too much?" she asked timidly.

Sasuke glared at her and she felt as if he slapped her.

There was anger in that gaze. But also sadness and loathing, though strangely enough she felt it wasn't directed at her.

"Those who have no will to fight for what they believe in and hide like cowards... have no right to live!" the Uchiha said harshly, getting up from the table abruptly. "I'm going to bed."

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head.

'Those two... No matter what they say, they are so similar to each other it is scary.'

He looked to the side, hearing the faint click and the sound of Inari's feet as the boy finally ran away from the door.

"Excuse me..." he said, patting Sakura on the arm before going after the boy.

After all, he was Team Seven's teacher. It was his student's mess, so he was somewhat responsible. And he so hated seeing children or women cry...

---

The blond glared at the moon, feeling himself slowly calming down.

He had no idea why he reacted like that. Sure, the kid had pissed him off with all that whining, but each time he mentioned 'dying,' 'he will kill you!' or something similar...

Naruto snarled, before closing his eyes and counting to ten.

He just couldn't help it.

It was the same like with Zabuza.

'You are going to die.'

And Naruto felt like strangling people.

He was NOT going to die.

He was NOT going to let somebody, ANYBODY, kill him.

They could hire jounin, they could hire fucking S-class criminals or call the dead Hokages from their fucking GRAVES... he didn't give a shit!

Until he met her again... he was NOT going to die. He was going to survive, to win, to go forward no matter the cost. To see those honey-gold eyes warm with laughter and love again.

And that was a promise!

Naruto closed his eyes, resting on the web of wires, the gentle swaying of the trees lulling him to sleep, the moon glinting off his hair in a silvery hue.

---

TBC...

---


	3. Chapter 3

Edited by Skelethin 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

---

"Those who fight."

---

Naruto stretched, subconsciously tugging the wires lightly to loosen them from his body.

'Weird... it beats the futon or the bed any day of the week.' He yawned, looking at the sun.

The blond blinked.

"...THIS LATE?!"

He snapped the wires, jumping down and letting his 'web' unravel, breaking into a run even as he pooled the wire back.

'Crapcracpcrap... I'm SO LATE!'

'Judging by the sun it's around seven... Sakura-chan said they go to the bridge at eight... I can make it!'

Snapping the last two 'free' wires, he grabbed the branch.

---

Huffing and catching the air greedily, Naruto skidded into a stop.

"MADE IT!" he wheezed, catching his breath.

He snapped the wires back, taking a step forward, only to halt.

'Something's... not right...'

Naruto frowned.

The house was silent, but Tsunami's domicile wasn't particularly loud. Still...

Subconsciously, Naruto's steps became lighter and more cautious even as his fingers tapped the two wires stuck by chakra to his glove.

'...what is-"

There was a loud crash.

A female scream.

"INARI!"

Naruto's eyes widened.

---

"The brat?" The shorter samurai looked at his friend.

"We need only one hostage. Cut him."

The man smirked, reaching for his sword.

"Heh. I've been waiting to cut so-" He blinked.

'I swear I heard-'

He didn't even have a chance to scream as a wire coiled around his hands and snapped him back.

There was a loud, cracking sound.

The man fell forward.

The second samurai turned, surprise in his eyes.

Naruto glared.

The man's eyes narrowed as he saw his friend on the ground, arms at an awkward angle - probably broken.

He looked at the blond.

"You're gonna die for that kid." he growled, raising the sword.

Naruto's eyes froze.

Tsunami began to scream as she saw the katana strike at the unmoving shinobi, only for the scream to die in her throat.

The samurai cursed as something thin and impossibly fast coiled around him, striking and binding his arms at the same time.

"You won't KILL ME!" Naruto hissed as his wire gouged the man's face painfully.

He took a step back, the wire coiled around the man's sword hand tightening painfully.

"...I'll kill you for-!"

"SHUT UP!" The blond snapped his arms back and the man fell forward straight at Naruto's knee, hands outstretched.

The crunching sound was heard again and the samurai screamed, staring at his mangled wrists.

"No more swords for you, bastard!" Naruto spat, kicking him in the face.

The man fell down, unconscious.

Tsunami looked at the blond shinobi dumbly.

"You all right?"

She blinked.

"Are you alright?" Naruto repeated, tugging back his wires from the unconscious samurai.

"...I...yes..." she said hesitatingly.

She knew that the three children with the jounin were shinobi. She saw the holsters and fed them after training, talked with them, but...

This level of blunt savagery in a child...

Naruto glared at the two men on the floor. He barely restrained the urge to squeeze the wire around their throats.

'Die. FEH! As if those morons could kill me.'

Still... it made him angry. Attacking a woman like that? Gato was the worst kind of scum.

'That rich bastard is going _down_.'

He blinked.

'Wait... If he sent his men then... CRAP!'

"Get Inari and get out of here. No saying if Gato has more men that he'll send for you," Naruto said, turning to the door, "If you have some neighbors, go there. I need to help my team."

"...but!"

"If Gato was cocksure enough to send those two morons, then he's attacking the bridge right now. And that means Zabuza will be there. I need to go."

She nodded.

"Just... don't die, okay?" she said softly.

Naruto froze mid-step.

The pools of honey-brown flashed in his mind.

'Just don't die... okay?'

He turned, looking at Tsunami oddly.

The woman fidgeted. Those blue eyes were so... warm. And so _hungry_ as he looked at her...

They made her feel warm all over.

'Oh settle down, for kami's sake! This is a twelve year old _boy_!'

But for some reason those eyes were eyes of a man looking at a woman. Then the look vanished, leaving just determination.

"Don't worry. I won't. I can't. I still have something I have to do." He grinned and ran out.

Tsunami looked at the empty doorway for a moment before shaking her head.

He was right. She needed to get out of here.

"Inari!"

---

Kakashi. Zabuza.

Sakura and the old man Tazuna.

And... mirrors?

Naruto frowned, only for his eyes to widen as he saw that odd 'hunter nin' coming _out_ of them.

He saw Sakura's charge and...

'FUCK!'

The wires sang.

---

"Yo, bastard."

Naruto smirked at his teammate.

"Having trouble?"

"Feh." the Uchiha snorted, only to jump back as the senbon struck his previous position.

Naruto yelped, barely strafing away.

"Pay attention, idiot!"

"...says the guy who's all beat up." muttered the blond, "Where is that- THERE!'

He swung his wire, only to blink as the metal struck a mirror with a metallic-sounding chime, but nothing more.

"...wow. Those are pretty solid," he muttered, before cursing as the hail of senbon flew at him.

"IDIOT!" Sasuke grabbed his collar, dragging him back. "This is not someone you can defeat! What the hell were you thinking jumping in here?!"

"I was saving your worthless ass, bastard!"

"By being a complete idiot?" Sasuke snapped, "I can handle myself, moron. This guy is too fast for you!" the Uchiha snarled angrily. 'Goddammit... I can't fight with him in the way!'

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

'...something is odd about it...'

"MOVE!" Sasuke screamed as another hail of senbon seemed to come from all sides.

Naruto yelped, instinctively flailing his wires around himself.

The blond winced as some senbon got through, striking his legs and arms.

'FUCK that hurts!'

Still...

He narrowed his eyes, turning clockwise slowly, following the 'hunter nin's' image that seemed to shift from mirror to mirror.

'Damn he's fast... but... He can't move like that forever. And his senbon will run out. Just...' He winced, pulling out the needle from his arm. 'Yeah. Precise bastard!'

Naruto blinked owlishly.

'...wait. If he's so fast and precise...'

Sasuke scowled.

'I've had enough of that! And if those are ice...' He snapped the hand seals. 'Let's see how he handles THIS!'

Sasuke breathed out, the Housenka striking the mirrors in front of him with angry roar of fire...

...only to die out without any effect?

"...what?" Sasuke muttered with shock.

"Those mirrors aren't so weak, Uchiha-san," the Mist nin said calmly. "Makyo Hyosho won't fall to that level of attack."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto growled, forming a familiar "Eat THIS!"

The Kage Bunshins glared at the mirrors.

"Go and break them to pieces!" Naruto said gleefully.

The clones grinned, charging forward and striking the mirrors.

Haku watched until the clones were just a fraction of a distance away and... moved.

Naruto felt his jaw drop as he saw his precious jutsu torn to puffs of smoke before his very eyes.

"...no way..." he muttered dumbly.

"This jutsu uses reflection to transport me. For me, you two are moving in slow motion," Haku explained calmly.

Naruto scowled.

"Slow motion... as if I give a SHIT!" he sneered, the wires snapping angrily around him. "I don't CARE what kind of fucking jutsu or stupid bloodline you have! I won't be stopped by you!" the blond growled.

Haku gazed at the blond.

'He is...'

'Haku, do you have that feeling? To hold... and never let go?'

"Becoming... a true shinobi is difficult for me. I don't want you to die," Haku said softly, "But if you continue to fight... I will kill my heart and become a true shinobi."

She looked at the blond.

"For my dream... as you do for yours."

Naruto blinked.

There was something oddly and damnably familiar about those words... if only he could-!

"Please... don't hate me. I also have a person I need to protect and hold onto. No matter the cost," Haku said, her voice becoming softer and colder with each word. "And for that... I will kill you."

Sasuke stiffened, feeling the killer intent filling the air.

'This guy is he... no.' His head turned to his blond teammate. '...I don't believe this... How can he...?'

"I won't die." Naruto's mouth twisted into a snarling grimace, "As long as she is waiting... I WILL KILL YOU!" The blond roared, charging the mirrors, wires swinging.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

'...NO!'

And his body... moved.

'...what am I doing...?' He thought dazedly as the needles flashed all around him, too fast to see clearly. 'I can't even...'

And suddenly there was the pain, and clarity.

'..I can see...! I can...!'

His hand moved, grabbing the collar, dragging the blond down.

'...idiot... I can't kill Itachi now... what am I...?'

He stiffened as the needles found their target.

'...idiot... we are both... such... idiots...'

"Sasuke...?" Naruto breathed, "What are you..."

"Moron..." Sasuke smirked through the blood flowing from his mouth. "Why are you... always getting... in the way?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke was riddled with senbon. His neck, his arms, his torso...

"...S-Sasuke...?"

"What's that face for... scaredy cat..." Sasuke tried to laugh. "You look... pathetic... like that..."

"...why? Sasuke... I..." Naruto grabbed the Uchiha as he fell back. "I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR HELP GODDAMMIT!"

"...heh..." Sasuke coughed up blood. "I hated you... you know? And my body... moved on its... own..." Sasuke felt an odd drowsiness taking him slowly. 'So that is how it feels to die? It isn't so bad...' He forced his eyes open a fraction. "That man... I told myself not to die until I killed him... and you have... someone you need to see, right?"

Naruto looked at the blood pooling from Sasuke's wounds dumbly, his own hands and gloves already stained red.

"...do better... and don't... dare to die... until you do that... dead last..." The Uchiha heir whispered, finally closing his eyes.

'Sasuke... you bastard... How could you...?' Naruto thought dazedly. 'You stupid emo bitch... how DARE you die on me?!'

"He died to protect you. He stood and took the blow without flinching to protect you and knock me down. To protect his precious person. This man... is a shinobi worthy of respect." Haku stood up slowly.

The last strike by the Uchiha boy was very impressive. Indeed, for a second there it seemed as if he _knew_ where the senbon were supposed to strike.

Yet he still stood in their path.

"Is this the first time a friend of yours died?" Haku shook her head gently, walking back into the mirror. "This is the shinobi way."

She blinked.

There was a sharp snap and something moved with incredible speed towards her. It was fortunate the mirror was only a step away, but...

She eyed a sleeve of her kimono cut at the edge, as if by a knife.

'...the wires!' she realized with shock. 'But he didn't even move! How is it possible?!'

"...shut up..." Naruto's hands trembled as he let go of Sasuke.

He looked at the blood on his gloves.

Sasuke's blood.

His palms clenched slowly and the blood pooled away, flowing down the wires.

Haku stiffened as she felt an incredible amount of raw, murderous intent fill the air.

A red haze erupted from the blond.

Naruto opened his palms.

The wires, all ten of them, flowed out almost on their own, red chakra flowing around him like a sinister mist.

Haku's eyes widened.

'Red chakra...?'

The blond roared, snapping his arms to the sides. The wires glinted sinisterly, almost shrieking as they cut the air.

'Our existence is mutable and incorporeal as the morning dew or flash of lightning...'

Haku snapped her seals and the icy needles rose from the moisture.

The wires circled and swung madly and the needles broke, never reaching their target.

The chakra swirled around the blond and Haku could swear the blue eyes turned red.

The marks on Naruto's face thickened, the nails turned into claws.

A deep growl welled in his chest.

---

Kakashi's eyes widened.

'...THAT CHAKRA...!'

He gritted his teeth.

'Did the seal break?'

He blinked.

'...what is that odd feeling...?'

There was something oddly... familiar about it. And it wasn't Kyuubi's terror. There was something sharp, something rapid, something...

He looked at Zabuza grimly, grabbing his summoning contract.

'It seems I must end it quickly now.'

---

The red haze around Naruto thickened. Coiled. The red lightning flashed through his body to light up the wires.

Haku's eyes widened as errant flashes of lightning started to scorch the stone of the bridge.

The wild movement stopped for the briefest of seconds.

Then... the cyclone of wire came.

There was no wind. There didn't need to be.

The wires whirled in a mad dance directed by their master, a dervish of death with eyes of blazing red. The lightning coiled around his hands, feeding the hungry wires that shrieked and crackled with glee as they spun with murderous power.

The red met ice. Chakra met chakra, and the ice wasn't broken but shattered. Melted. Crushed with wild abandon, far too fast for Haku to even follow.

Where the wire touched one of the mirrors for a briefest of moments, the mirror shattered to pieces with wild abandon.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Naruto snarled.

Haku tried to jump away, but the wires were too fast as they coiled around her.

Her body exploded with pain as the raw power touched her body.

She fell with a scream...

...and the mask broke.

Naruto snarled wires slashing downward...

...only to strike the stone as the ceramic mask broke into pieces.

"...Haku...?"

---

'Sometimes sharing a problem makes the load lighter.'

'There is a person... that is very precious to me.'

'I hope you will find the person you are looking for, Naruto.'

---

"...what... happened?"

Her dazed eyes looked up, her body smoking with the residue of power.

"...you... can't kill me like that... Naruto..." she whispered painfully.

"...Haku... I... I don't...!"

"Pity... Naruto?" She smiled, despite the pain. "But unless you can kill me... can you go forward? To find your... most precious person?" she coughed painfully.

The red power... she had no idea what it was. It was like lightning, but the actual electricity seemed... weak. But there was power. Power that burned. Power that hurt.

"...Your precious person... Zabuza?" Naruto's eyes widened with understanding.

"... We are so alike, aren't we?" She moved her arm, scraping the stone ever so slowly, trying to hoist herself up... only to fall. "...so weak..." she whispered brokenly, an odd smile on her face, "Naruto... Why did you stop?"

"...I... Haku... What the hell?!" He stood, staring, torn in two.

On one hand she just killed Sasuke but...

...they were so alike. So... she was his friend! She was like HIM!

How could he...?

"You took my reason for existence, Naruto," she smiled, "Zabuza-sama has no need for weak tools..." She closed her eyes. "Not being needed by anyone... not having a dream to follow... isn't that worse than death? Being unwanted in this world...?"

Naruto flinched.

"I..."

"Please... kill me," she whispered.

"...you... how can you... for HIM? For HIM?!" Naruto spat, "How can you...! I don't get it! I don't get it at all!"

"...would that matter to you if she was like that...?" Naruto slumped, feeling the strength leaving him.

"...no"

If she was a monster... a person like Zabuza, or ever worse than Gato.  
It was like that.

A sound of hundred screeching birds filled the air.

Haku's eyes widened.

"Zabuza-sama!" She clawed the stone desperately, trying to get up like a person possessed, ignoring the burning muscles, the body filled with pain...

Naruto's head snapped to the left, following her gaze.

Kakashi's lightning-covered hand sunk into Zabuza's chest.

Haku's scream died on her lips.

"Zabuza...sama...?" she whispered with disbelief.

Naruto watched as Zabuza's lifeless body slid off Kakashi's arm.

The jounin sighed, tiredly lowering his hitai-ate over the sharingan.

"This looks to be-" He stiffened.

The cane touched Zabuza's lifeless body, poking it.

"The Devil of the Bloody Mist... Well, looks nothing more than dead trash now." The obese, short man in an expensive suit kicked Zabuza's lifeless head with disgust. "At least I don't have to pay you now. Not that I intended to from the start!" The man started to cackle.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he saw the man and a large group of swordsmen at his back, all in oddly high spirits.

"Gato," Kakashi said looking at the man suspiciously. "It seems your shinobi has failed."

"I would have to kill him sooner or later," the businessman shrugged, "You just saved me the trouble."

He looked to the side at Haku, who was crawling slowly to Zabuza's dead body.

"Oh, and here you are," he said gleefully, smirking as he saw the ripped kimono. "And you ARE a girl... That's good. That's good! Such a pretty thing... I will enjoy having you after I teach you some better manners, eh?" he sneered.

Haku looked up, despite the pain. Her hands trembled, her whole body shook, but the hate and revulsion was unmistakable.

"I... will... KILL YOU...!" She snarled, trying to reach for the senbon.

"Little bitch! You will learn to appreciate me." he snorted, throwing his half-burned cigar at her only to blink as it was cut in two suddenly.

"Touch her and die."

Naruto's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to make the mercenaries reach for their swords.

"Foolish shinobi." Gato grumbled, "And here I wanted to pay you for a job well done. Hmm? What do you say? Just give me the girl and kill the old man - I will triple whatever he's paying you."

Kakashi looked at Gato without a word.

"...Ah. Whatever." the businessman muttered, kicking the dead nin's body.

"Worthless scum! If you were half as good as you claimed to be...!" he spat, kicking Zabuza again for good measure.

"...he was your ninja... he worked for you. He bled for you... and that's how you treat him?"

Gato turned to the source of the voice, finding to his surprise the blond Konoha brat who threatened him before.

"My ninja?" he said condescendingly. "He didn't fight for me. He fought for the money I gave him."

"HE BLED for you! He DIED for you!" Naruto snarled. "And you do THAT?!"

The businessman shrugged.

"Hey, boss." One of the samurai pointed at Zabuza's corpse. "Can we get his head? I mean, Mist will pay a pretty penny for it..."

"Actually... that might not be a bad idea," Gato nodded, "And get that little bitch as well. She is probably worth something. And if not..." He smiled. "It has been some time since I had such a cute one to break, eh?"

He laughed.

"G-Gato..." Haku tried to get up, hate almost rolling off her in waves.

The businessman didn't pay any attention, walking away calmly.

She closed her eyes desperately.

'Only a little bit strength... please, Kami... Zabuza-sama... please┘ PLEASE...!'

Haku reached for her senbon only for it to fall from her numb fingers.

"Please... only a tiny bit of strength... Kami... please... I will do anything... PLEASE!" Haku whispered, her vision dizzy. "Just a little bit... to KILL that MAN!" Hot tears welled in her eyes, tears of pain, of rage and hate as she looked at Gato's back.

Kakashi might have killed Zabuza-sama... but they were shinobi. Tools. The real culprit... was that man. That vile, wretched shell of a man who DARED to...!

Her eyes widened as she saw something glint in the air, followed by a golden and black blur.

"...NARUTO!" Kakashi called, only to curse as he felt his wounds spike with pain.

True, mercenaries were no match for shinobi but there were a lot of them, and they were all tired save Sakura who wasn't exactly capable in battle. Especially not against this many opponents.

It was a dangerous situation and Naruto was only making it worse, goddamn him!

The samurai screamed a warning but he was too late. The last thing he saw were enraged red eyes and pair of wires that crushed his windpipe.

"Gato...!" Naruto howled. "...GATO!"

The businessman took a step backwards, two samurai from his personal guard drawing their swords.Naruto snarled, grabbing one in the wire and tugged him forward, straight at his kunai.

The second one tried to attack only find his legs entangled in wire. Naruto tightened it, snapping his hand back.

The man's scream cut off rapidly as he fell on his own sword.

"Gato...!" The tycoon paled, turning to run, only to fall as the wire slashed at his legs.

Naruto looked at the man for the moment, then turned and walked away.

Gato looked at the ninja's back incredulously, before sighing in relief.

He blinked, seeing at the large shadow that was growing even larger, and looked up only to scream as the falling Kubikiri Houcho guided by the wire tied to it, cleaved him in half.

"Don't you fucking dare to look down on people's dreams, you bastard." Naruto said softly.

---

Sakura's eyes teared up.

In the lull of the fight... She saw.

Sasuke... was dead.

It was like she said to Tazuna-san... shinobi are not supposed to feel emotions.

That's the mantra she tried to repeat in her mind.

She angrily wiped the tears away, unmindful of the new ones that fell.

'Sasuke-kun... I will be strong... I promise, I...'

She heard the distinctive poof of Kage Bunshin.

---

The mercenaries looked at their dead meal ticket's remains with disbelief. The bolder ones reached for their sword, roaring in defiance.

Naruto, his eyes now blue but no less furious snapped his hands and the wires coiled around him like hungry snakes.

Kakashi sighed, making the seal.

Suddenly, over twenty Kage Bunshins covered the bridge. The original smiled under his mask faintly, grabbing a kunai and twirling it in his hands lazily.

"Tazuna-san..." Sakura said, oddly detached.

"I understand," replied the old bridge builder, "So... do what you have to."

"Thank you." The pink haired girl drew her kunai.

She was numb but her hand tied an explosive tag over it firmly, like in training.

"Two brats and one wounded and exhausted man! Come on!" one of the swordsmen finally snarled, "We gonna let them leave like that?"

The men roared.

Amazingly enough, Sakura was the first one to tag an enemy with her thrown kunai.

Then the tag attached to it sizzled. And exploded.

With an odd, almost clinical detachment Sakura noted that it killed three samurai and ripped the hand off of another one.

Normally she'd be sick but...

It was just one shock too many.

Her teammate was dead. Her crush was dead. Uchiha Sasuke... Part of Team Seven, HER team... was dead. And they wanted to kill them. Her. Team. Kakashi-sensei. Naruto.

Her team.

They wanted to. Kill. Her. Team.

'Shinobi rule number twenty two: The team is to provide mutual protection, tactical advantage, and attack power in order to maximize the chances of achieving the mission objectives.'

The delicate hand drew her kunai.

'Shinobi rule number six: The safety of the ninja is secondary to the mission objective.'

Haruno Sakura raised her kunai.

'Team Seven rule: Those who abandon comrades are lower than trash.'

---

Kakashi blinked, sparing a second to look at his pink haired student.

She had two more kunai in her hands and she looked at the approaching mass of men with odd detachment, which indicated obvious shock. But she still held her ground.

For some reason, he felt an odd surge of pride that it was Sakura's kunai that reached the men first. Not the powerful, if rash, jinchuuriki. Not the offspring of a genius clan.

Sakura.

He smiled.

'I have a good team.'

The Copycat looked at the crowd of approaching samurai.

He couldn't use the sharingan and he wasn't exactly fresh...

The ninja smiled, his clones twirling their kunai in an identical, lazy manner before one of the clones simply ducked under a sword swing and opened the swordsman's gut with its kunai.

But that didn't mean he was helpless.

---

The first of the mercenaries that charged Naruto found his windpipe crushed by two wires out of nowhere.

The second one felt only a brief stab of panic as his sword was yanked from his hands only to sink in his gut a second later.

Another charged, katana held high as he saw both of Naruto's hands spread out controlling the wires, only to fly back with a broken neck as the genin's kick found his head.

Four other samurai didn't have even a chance to scream as a wire coiled around the one in the center and the last of Naruto's explosive tags blew them to pieces.

With a wet squishing sound Kubikiri Houcho rose from Gato's corpse, wires around it akin to wings as Naruto spun on his axis.

The zanbato cut the air with a howl, before decapitating two mercenaries in a row.

His eyes crimson, red power visible and rising from him in an odd mix of haze and occasional sparks as if it couldn't decide which shape to take, Uzumaki Naruto... raged.

Death followed.

---

It was odd.

Like the eye of a hurricane.

Sometime in the middle of throwing, cutting, killing, and fighting for her life Sakura found herself back to back with her teacher.

And as her hand gripped the kunai, as the blade found another weak spot...

"Tighter. Conserve the energy." Kakashi's voice was calm and lazy as always, even in the middle of the fight. She hated that apathetic tone before, but now she found it soothing. Calming. Eye of a storm. "Don't use swings. Disable. Kill. Straight." His hand lashed out opening a throat of yet another mercenary with a thrust.

Sakura took a step, her own hand moving slower with a mimicked precision.

The target gurgled, falling with a blade in his throat.

"Too deep. But good," Kakashi nodded with approval, "Here." He flicked Sakura another kunai. "Again."

She nodded, twisting to the side as the mercenary charged her.

She patiently waited for the man to complete his swing, so he could be exposed enough.

Her kunai flashed.

The man fell down with an almost comical look of surprise on his face as the red liquid oozed from his throat.

Offhandedly, Kakashi threw a shuriken behind Sakura, the weapon sinking into the eyes of the samurai who creeped behind her.

Sakura turned and her other kunai slashed open the man's gut.

"Good. Be aware and conserve energy. There are many enemies."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura nodded and twisted around her axis, her hand swinging and Kakashi blinked as the mercenary behind him fell, shuriken in his throat, before smiling under his mask.

With two fast steps, Sakura was once again at his back.

Kakashi cocked his head to the side.

It was an odd feeling.

Instinctively, he sank a kunai into another attacker's gut paying no attention to the man on the left.

Sakura's kunai ended the man's charge a second later. Neatly. Cleanly.

And for some odd reason as he fought back-to-back with his student, he felt as if the jounin vest was tighter, almost mimicking the familiar feeling of his old ANBU armor. He felt as if he had his old chakra sword on his back and the cloth mask felt oddly solid, like the ceramic mask he had carried for so many years.

'Sword on my back, hmm?'

He chuckled soundlessly as Sakura's unwavering kunai found yet another target.

'That just might be true...'

The wolf smirked under the mask and stepped into the carnage.

The pink cub followed his steps like a red shadow.

---

Tazuna stood, eyes wide.

He wanted to run but he just couldn't. He was frozen to the spot by the battle.

'No... that's not a battle. It's a slaughter...' he thought dumbly.

The mercenaries who had enough brains broke ranks and fled in terror. The mercenaries who dared to stay and fight...

He swallowed heavily.

The bodies littered the bridge, bleeding and covering the stone with a macabre painting of red. He looked forward, barely registering the snarling blond who stood near Gato's cleaved body, corpses of the mercenaries he killed all around him. He was covered in cuts and nicks and blood.

Tazuna knew most of it wasn't his own.

But the boy was... dangerous. He was capable, like that Uchiha boy. Tazuna saw him fight before and he knew that. Their teacher was also capable. Legendary even, from what he had gleaned.

But the girl...

Sakura guarded him for days. She talked with him, laughed with him, went shopping with Tsunami and gushed over makeup and dresses with her. He even caught them giggling in that particular manner that females did when they talked about things men would never understand.

She was... just a girl. A pretty, delicate teenage girl in a cute red dress with a smile on her face and crush on her teammate that was visible even without the blush she wore when she looked at him.

She was just... normal. Just a girl. He found it difficult to believe she was an actual shinobi, really. She just seemed so... so girlish, as stupid as it sounded. Perfectly ordinary.

The woman in a torn, blood splattered red dress... the woman, breathing heavily as her hands clutched the bloodied kunai, her exotic, luscious hair matted with sweat and blood, now shorter after some overeager mercenary tried to decapitate her...

There was nothing ordinary about her.

Nothing soft. Nothing girlish.

The blond was a bona fide berserker. Sunny and smiling, but dangerous. The teacher was terrifyingly efficient. The black haired boy was like a smaller version of their teacher, only aloof and somewhat arrogant instead of apathetic.

Those were scary people. He knew that. Those were shinobi. Killers. Assassins. Warriors.

But when the pink haired teenager raised her head and looked at him with those oddly detached, emerald eyes...

He was afraid. No, he was terrified.

A twelve year old girl... A _child_. A spunky, intelligent, and vibrant girl whom he'd be happy to have as his granddaughter...

He shuddered.

Because as the emerald eyes gazed at him with almost offhand curiosity, he had a feeling they calmly calculated how to stab his throat or how to cut his gut open with the least amount of effort.

Shinobi.

Killer.

'This is...' He felt his gut clench. 'Those are... those aren't children... good Kami... we treated them like children... we treated _that_ like a child?'

Everybody knew shinobi started young. But Tazuna never paid any attention to it. Not really.

But now...

Sakura told him that she started the Ninja Academy at seven.

He listened to her curiously. It wasn't every day one heard about shinobi education first hand. But to him it seemed well... like a school.

Lessons five days of the week, spring breaks, lunch breaks, and math and...

...and teaching seven year-old children how to throw a projectile with enough accuracy to kill a grown man. How to sneak and backstab. How to use explosives.

How to kill.

For the first time in his life Tazuna was glad that Wave country didn't have a ninja village.

---

Sakura took a slow step forward.

The kunai in her hand dripped blood and she felt the very same, warm liquid slowly seeping down on her face through her mangled hair.

Automatically, she swept it away.

'Can't let it block my vision,' she thought absently.

She looked around, her eyes taking in the carnage with odd detachment. She stiffened briefly as she felt Kakashi's hand resting on her arm.

"That's enough, Sakura," he said gently.

"Sensei?" She looked at him with an empty gaze.

"That's enough." he repeated softly, "You did well."

She nodded dumbly, looking past her teacher.

'Sasuke's... body. Dead... body. Corpse.' she thought dazedly, kunai falling from her hands.

She took a wavering step.

Then another.

And then fell to her knees beside her dead crush like a puppet whose strings were cut.

Sakura looked at her dead teammate blankly for a long moment, not even raising her head as Kakashi walked next to her.

'Such a waste...' he thought mournfully, 'The last loyal Uchiha... Seems that history repeats itself, doesn't it, Obito?'

"...Sensei... Kakashi-sensei..."

He looked at his blood-splattered student.

"...I can't... cry... Sensei..." The girl looked at him, her eyes empty and blank. "Sensei... why... can't I cry?" she said, looking so lost that Kakashi winced.

For once in his life he didn't retreat into apathy, as he laid a hand on Sakura's arm in a gesture of comfort.

"You will, Sakura. When it is time... you will."

"Oh." she nodded dumbly. "I see."

Her eyes traveled over the dead Uchiha's body, taking in the senbon that were in it.

"...it... shouldn't be like that..." she whispered, her head grasping the weapon, "...it shouldn't... it shouldn't..." She yanked the senbon out and grasped another one. "┘it shouldn't... it shouldn't..." Kakashi tried to stop her but she just shook off his grip, pulling out the senbon like a woman possessed.

The final needle clattered on the stone.

"...It shouldn't... why... why it is like that... Sensei?" She looked at him.

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment.

"Because we are shinobi, Sakura," he finally said, "Because we are shinobi."

The girl looked at him blankly, only to freeze.

Slowly, she turned her head down.

Sasuke groaned.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sasu...ke...?" she whispered.

The Uchiha heir opened his eyes dazedly, feeling pain all over his body, only to see Sakura's blood-splattered face over him.

'I'm... alive...?'

"Sakura...?" he crowed out, his eyes wide, "...What the hell... happened to your hair...?"

Still and frozen, Sakura stayed there until she felt hot tears welling in her eyes.

"SASUKE!" she screamed, crying as she grasped the young Uchiha tightly.

Sasuke's eyes bugged out.

"Ow... Dammit that... HURTS!" he gritted out.

Sakura didn't hear him as she kept on crying and laughing hysterically at the same time.

Under his mask, Kakashi smiled.

'Now... you can cry again.' he thought with a bittersweet feeling. 'The history... It seems that even an ugly fate like that can be changed, Obito.'

Looking at his pink haired student embracing the Uchiha, Kakashi nodded slowly.

Indeed. It could be changed. And he would do his damned best to change it.

---

Haku crawled painfully.

She was weak, so weak... But the odd burning feeling passed. She could move now. Slowly and with spikes of pain accompanying every move, but she could.

She took a step forward, almost falling down again, only for a pair of strong arms to grab her.

The lunoichi looked at Naruto, who nodded slowly.

With his help, she walked to Zabuza's body.

"...Zabuza-sama. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..." She fell to her knees. "...I failed... I'm useless... I'm so sorry..."

She kneeled there for a long moment before she looked at Naruto, her eyes awash with tears.

"Naruto... Could you... Kubikiri Houcho...?"

Naruto nodded slowly and walked to the weapon. He could have used the wires as it wasn't that far away, but it felt wrong to do that. The young ninja grasped the oversized zanbato, pulling it out of the corpse.

He frowned, looking at the blade for a minute and then wiped the blood away as much as he could before walking back to Haku, who just seemed to wait patiently, her eyes on the weapon.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking at the zanbato.

Naruto extended it to her, hilt first, but she shook her head.

"Naruto... can I ask you something?" she said, looking up at him.

The blond nodded.

"Zabuza-sama... Forbade me from taking my own life. Unless it is on his order... I... I can't die." She touched Zabuza's hand lightly. "But without Zabuza-sama I have no more reason to live. Please. Could you... send me away? With this Kubikiri Houcho... could you take my worthless life?"

Naruto froze.

"...Haku..." He shook his head. ⌠What are you...? I can't...!"

"Please." She smiled painfully at him. "We are alike are we not? Wouldn't you want to be reunited with your precious person as well? Even in death? Please, Naruto... to be killed by Kubikiri Houcho, wielded by one like myself... Please." she begged him.

Slowly, after a long moment, the blond shinobi nodded, hefting the weapon up. "...thank you..." she whispered, closing her eyes.

She heard a familiar howl of cut air as the weapon was swung and felt a slight breeze.

'Zabuza-sama... I'm coming...'

There was a loud crack and groan of cut stone.

Her eyes fluttered open.

The large zanbato was inches from her face, edge facing sideways.

She looked up, only to see Naruto's cerulean eyes and a snarl on his face.

"You think that death will bring you closer to Zabuza?" he growled, "You are wrong! Death... Death is DEATH! It is the END!" The blond snarled into her face. "You think Zabuza would want you to do that? EH?! This guy... he was ruthless... cruel... but you think he'd want to see his tool WASTED like that?! YOU FUCKING DISGRACE!"

Haku flinched, as if slapped.

"Zabuza died. Yeah. But he left something behind. He left his dreams, his teachings, everything that made him shinobi... in you." The young shinobi looked at her, his eyes furious. "And you want to waste it like that? What are you, some fucking samurai?! Death is death! Death is EASY! When you're dead you can't do ANYTHING anymore! LIVING is hard!"

"...I can't do anything... anyway..." she said slowly, "I...am just one more useless... thing without Zabuza-sama."

"No you FUCKING AREN'T!" Naruto exploded. "So Zabuza died and you're fucking folding like that?! Just like that?! That guy... he said you are STRONGER than him! PROVE IT! LIVE! Don't you fucking DARE to DIE! You are not some fucking trash, you are shinobi! So LIVE!"

"...Without Zabuza-sama... I don't have anything to live for..." she said brokenly. "How can I...?"

"You don't have anything to live for? No dreams?" Naruto growled, "Then I will fucking GIVE you something to live for!"

He straightened up, letting go of Kubikiri Houcho's hilt.

"You said you wanted me to meet her? Then help me!"

Haku looked at the enraged blond, her eyes wide and shocked.

"So stand the FUCK UP!" Naruto hissed, "Stand up and don't disgrace your precious person's memory any longer!"

She blinked, her gaze slowly traveling over the zanbato until she stared at its hilt.

Wincing, feeling the pain spike inside her body each time she even so much as breathed deeply, she grabbed the hilt.

With a moan of pain she hefted herself up, using the sword like a giant crutch.

Naruto kept on watching, his eyes furious.

Haku looked at him and then, with a groan of steel and her own pained hiss, she pulled out the sword.

She looked at the blade for a long time before nodding.

Unmindful of her pain, she slowly knelt in front of Naruto, until her forehead touched the blood stained stone.

"As you command, Naruto-sama. From this day on, to find your precious person... I will be forever your weapon. Command me as you will."

---

It was a somber affair and no victory feast.

Tsunami shook her head sadly as she looked at Sasuke's bandaged form. Kakashi wasn't any better and she had to help bandage his torso, though he was as apathetic as ever. He even dared to... to read that _thing_ as she dressed his wounds!

Tsunami scowled, before smiling despite herself. 'That man...!'

The children, however...

'Can they even be called children anymore?' she thought, 'Could they ever?'

Her father was oddly tight lipped, but she could see sadness mixed with something akin to fear in his eyes whenever she caught him looking at the trio of young shinobi. The oddest was the fact that each time he looked at Sakura he almost flinched.

Tsunami sighed, shaking her head.

The girl's luscious, exotic hair was a mess. The blood was bad enough but the cut of the sword mangled them and she bemoaned the fact.

Sakura had such pretty hair...

The very moment she stopped dressing the wounds of the trio, she grabbed Sakura and dragged her to the bath, scissors and comb in hand.

Now the girl's hair looked somewhat presentable, but still a far cry from her previous cut.

Since most of the hair was a write-off anyway Tsunami cut it off, saving as much as she could. Sakura now sported something that looked oddly like a mix between Naruto's hairstyle, only without the spikes, and a pageboy cut. It looked a little bit odd since the hair fared better on the front and Tsunami left two rather nice looking bangs on the sides of Sakura's face.

It didn't look bad, actually. A little short, comparing to what she had before, but it looked good. Quite exotic.

Her pretty red dress was a complete write-off, what with the blood stains and cuts all over, so Tsunami lent her a white shirt and olive shorts of the same material that Naruto's pants were made that she had grown out of a long time ago. She also gave the girl her old, slightly fatigued jacket. It was a little long, but altering the sleeves was easy though it still looked more like a coat than an actual jacket. Sakura didn't mind.

'Though I doubt she is in a state to mind anything...' Tsunami thought sadly.

When she came back Sakura watched Sasuke like a hawk until his wounds were dressed, then she simply fainted and slept for twelve hours straight.

After she woke up, she walked out to the roof and kept on sitting there, staring into space blankly.

Which brought a slight problem.

Tsunami frowned, staring at the bowl with the food she had made for Sakura.

How was she supposed to-

Kakashi lazily grabbed the bowl.

"I'll take care of it."

She nodded as she saw the jounin 'walk' up the wall to the roof.

---

Kakashi looked at his student.

Sakura sat on the roof, her knees held to her chest, her usually vibrant eyes oddly dull as she kept on staring forward.

'The thousand yard stare... and on her first C-class mission, to boot.' he sighed, putting the bowl next to her.

She didn't even turn her head as Kakashi sat by her.

He tapped the bowl.

Sakura didn't even flinch.

The jounin put out the chopsticks, twirling them before he grabbed a morsel out of the bowl, then calmly poked Sakura sharply in her side.

She yelped, opening her lips. Kakashi put the food into her mouth.

Sakura looked at him, the piece of meat hanging from her mouth.

"Close mouth. Chew. Swallow." He smiled at her, his eye making the usual inverse 'u'. "It is a special shinobi skill. Called 'eating no jutsu.' Very vital it is." he said seriously.

Sakura just kept staring.

But she closed her mouth. Then chewed. And swallowed.

"First try... success!" Kakashi said opening his Icha Icha and pointing at the bowl. "Now, practice."

Sakura looked at him oddly.

"I'm still your superior, Sakura."

Hesitantly, she grabbed the chopstick and slowly grabbed a morsel. She chewed through it and blinked as she felt her stomach growl.

Kakashi looked at her over his book.

Sakura grabbed another piece of meat. Then another. Then another. She was _starving_! The girl kept on tearing into meat like a woman possessed until only one bite was left. She grabbed it, only to stiffen.

Kakashi frowned.

The last piece was undercooked and looked positively raw and Sakura's hands shook as she hyperventilated.

Kakashi calmly snagged the morsel from her chopstick and ate it.

It was a testament to Sakura's shock that she didn't even look as he briefly lifted his mask.

"...sensei..." she said. "I...we..." She shuddered.

Kakashi closed his Icha Icha and looked at his student as she lowered her head.

The girl shook, clenching her hands into fists so tightly her knuckles were white.

"...is it... always like that...?" she whispered.

Kakashi sighed.

"Not always," he said after a moment. "But... as shinobi... it is unavoidable."

"I see..." Sakura said softly.

Kakashi looked at her with an odd mix of pity and understanding.

"We... killed... a lot of people, Kakashi-sensei..."

"That we did," he said calmly, "But they attacked trained shinobi. That was stupid and reckless. They were our enemies."

"...but they were still... people, Kakashi-sensei..." The pink haired girl swallowed heavily, bile rising in her throat.

"Yes, He nodded slowly, "But they were our opponents, and they would have killed us."

"...is it always like that? Kill or be killed?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side thoughtfully.

He could have told her a lot of things. He could have given her the sermon about the 'Will of Fire,' about duty, about the honor of the shinobi... but that would be bullshit and he knew it.

"Yes, Sakura. Kill or be killed. Outwitting your enemy before he can do the same to you. Overpowering before he can overpower you. And killing him any way you can before he can kill you." The ninja said honeslty. "That is how shinobi live.. and how shinobi die."

The girl lowered her head even further, bangs covering her eyes.

"But..." Kakashi leaned back. "It is not about death, Sakura."

The pink haired girl blinked, looking up at her teacher.

"A wise man told me once... 'It is not about death, but life.'" He looked at her. "They say shinobi must be ready to die at any second. That is true. But the shinobi that has something to LIVE for... is truly strong."

Sakura blinked owlishly.

"Those were the words told to me by my teacher, Namikaze Minato." Sakura's eyes widened. "Though he was better known as the Yellow Flash... and as he was the strongest shinobi in history, I have no reason to disbelieve them."

"Yondaime... sama?" Sakura breathed.

"Yes." Kakashi's eye made that odd 'smile' again. "Minato-sensei was my team commander ever since I made genin."

"Oh," Sakura said.

'I... Minato-sensei... Did I too...?' He blinked, feeling an unpleasant realization creep upon him.

"So see, Sakura... Death is an integral part of life. Everybody dies. But don't be dragged down by death." he said slowly, recalling his teacher's words. He thought he understood them then but... it seems it was not something he really learned then, like some many other things. "Death... the ones you deal... and the ones you experience... taint you. But as long as you have that understanding... then you live. Not as a tool. But as a person."

Sakura looked at her teacher with wide eyes.

This was a side of Kakashi she had never seen.

'Is that... is sensei...?' she thought with sudden flash of insight, 'It is like he... knows...'

"I... see..." she muttered.

"That's... good." He nodded, patting her back awkwardly as he got up. He was about to jump down, before Sakura's words stopped him.

"...Sensei... when you feel that it... drags you down..." Sakura's hands clenched as she looked at Kakashi. "Life... how can you... make yourself remember...?"

Kakashi stood silently for a long moment.

Then he pulled out one of the volumes of Icha Icha he had with him. Slowly, almost ceremonially, he gave it to Sakura.

"Remembering life in its best form, how else?" he said cheerfully, before jumping down.

Sakura stared at the... book.

'It is...'

She read the words incredulously.

'Icha Icha Volume One... this... he gave me... PORN?'

The girl clenched her fists, eyebrow twitching.

'Why that...' She slumped. She couldn't be angry at her teacher. Not when he looked so damn earnest.

She looked at the book, before opening it hesitantly, almost against her better judgment.

'...I always was curious what was about those books anyway...' she thought absently, reading the first pages.

A moment later a large blush erupted on her face.

'...oh my...' she thought dazedly, 'oh...oh...my...'

It was raunchy. It was pornographic and explicit as hell. It was pure PORN. Perverted. No matter how well written. But...

A minute later a small, embarrassed giggle could be heard from the roof.

Sitting on the veranda directly under the roof Kakashi smiled, opening his own book.

---

TBC...

---


	4. Chapter 4

Edited by Skelethin. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

---

"Rebellion."

---

Sarutobi frowned, leafing through the papers.

Truth be told, he didn't need to read them, or even look at them again. He knew each and every word they contained, having read through them at least twice.

"This is... highly unusual Kakashi," Sarutobi said finally. "The girl aside, the whole mission, even the..." The old man shook his head. "One A-class, a bonus, Two B-class, and a C-class. This is akin to an ANBU squad status report, not a genin team mission summary."

"The contracted C-class mission turned high A due to the presence of Momochi Zabuza. The fulfillment of the contract and elimination of the upper level A-class nukenin ranks high A. Demon Brothers were considered low B-class nukenin. As such, they are outside of the specified contract, making their elimination a B-class bonus," Kakashi stated calmly. "Contract was to protect Tazuna himself, hence the protection of his family for the duration is worth a C-class bonus considering all team members had been engaged in it at one moment or another. Assassination of Gato and subsequent eradication of the mercenary force that was a threat to the stability of the region ranks as a mid B-class assignment."

Sarutobi blinked.

For a moment, he would swear it was like listening to Kakashi from his ANBU days. The calm assessment, the lazy, but far from apathetic drawl... Give the man the drab grey armor and the ceramic mask and there would be no difference.

"I don't question your assessment, Kakashi." Sarutobi raised his hand in a placating manner. "However... this is a large amount of money, especially for a country in a bad economical situation. If what you say is true then they might not be able, or even willing to pay, especially since there were multiple missions. One A-class in the situation like that, possible. But several missions?"

"They will pay." Kakashi said stoically.

"Are you that sure?" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.

"They will. I negotiated the fees after the mission was completed. It will take some time, but with trade picking up due to the bridge and the empty niche left by Gato, the Wave will be more than able to pay its dues."

"Negotiated..." the Hokage frowned. "Surprising, Kakashi."

The jounin looked at his leader.

"In a situation like that, I would have expected you to turn back. Or at least call for back up."

"As a team leader with elite jounin status I have-"

"...The authority to decide on the mission parameters in the field. Yes, yes." The Hokage waved his hand with irritation. "Don't qote the rules to me, boy. Especially rules that I helped to create, if you would be so kind." He glared at his subordinate.

He was old, not senile, for kami's sake!

Kakashi closed his mouth.

Sarutobi sighed.

'And of course, as good as the fact that Wave will pay is, I now have to pay for all of this from Konoha's coffers.' The old man rubbed his temples. 'And that's not even the major problem.'

Sarutobi took one of the sheets, looking at it thoughtfully.

"This... Haku. Who exactly is she, Kakashi?" he asked after a long moment.

"Former subordinate of Zabuza's, she is an expertly trained in-"

"I didn't ask what kind of ninja she is, Kakashi." Sarutobi looked at the Copycat sharply. "I asked_ who_ she is."

"...I don't know."

Sarutobi put down the paper to look at his ninja.

"You... don't know," he said calmly, "You have no idea. Yet you allow for her to follow him like some kind of lost puppy? A kunoichi as combat capable as you describe her?" The Hokage asked dangerously.

"She won't harm him." Kakashi looked at the Hokage without flinching. "She is... well, I guess the best term would be a 'follower'. Though given her commitment, I'd say fanatic would be more appropriate."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sarutobi-sama... Last time I have seen a kunoichi _this_ devoted to her superior was during the War. She is a kunoichi. The old school one in some respects. Many of them, in fact." Kakashi pressed. "The report won't give you the full picture, and I apologize. But... when you will see her, you will understand that right away. She is no threat. She will die before she allows Naruto to be harmed."

Sarutobi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"As much as I'd like to be happy for the boy... she _is_ dangerous, Kakashi. And not just physically. Does Naruto even realize just what kind of danger she is?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Sarutobi-sama. The boy has charisma. He swayed her utterly."

"And that's what I am afraid of." the old man admitted with worry.

"Ah." Kakashi nodded slowly in understanding. "But Sarutobi-sama... As much as I understand, that is his choice in the end. Besides..." Kakashi shrugged. "This might be for the best."

Sarutobi's eyebrows shot up.

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Kakashi?" he snapped.

"Hardly, Hokage-sama." The Copycat shrugged again. "He is an adult now. And with his... burden, can you see any other chance as things are now?"

"People change." Sarutobi pointed out.

"Not that much." Kakashi said flatly.

The old man stared at his ninja for a long moment, before sighing.

"I believe you are underestimating him, but that's neither here nor now." He looked at the paper thoughtfully. "This girl will be a problem, Kakashi. Her blood limit is powerful. Very powerful. Her previous... association is not a problem. She was never a Mist shinobi, there isn't even a bounty for her. However that blood limit..." Sarutobi shook his head. "The very moment she joins the Konoha ranks and the Council sees the blood's potential..." He frowned. "I can stall, but eventually she will have to do something about it." Sarutobi halted abruptly, before looking at Kakashi. "Or... Kakashi... what did she think of herself in regards to Naruto?"

"The words she used were 'weapon'." The copycat frowned. "I asked her some questions, but that's basically the way she thinks. Zabuza brought her up that way. A living tool."

"A living tool. A weapon. A possession..." Sarutobi murmured thoughtfully. "Oh yes. That will work... Indeed it will."

The Copycat blinked owlishly.

"Don't worry, Kakashi. It is something between Naruto and me." Sarutobi waved his hand dismissively. "Now about that request."

Kakashi nodded.

"I want to request taking off Team 7 from the mission roster for the next two months."

Sarutobi stared.

"Excuse me?" he said finally. "I was under the impression that your team has no need for medical leave."

"They do not." Kakashi nodded. "However, I still would like to request the two months leave."

Sarutobi frowned.

'If not for medical purposes, then why? Is he dissatisfied or is there something I should know? Naruto? Or the young Uchiha?'

"Explain." Sarutobi said curtly.

"I believe Team 7 has potential. However, there are aspects both in case of teamwork and individual combat capability I would like to address. D-class missions, however necessary, are not exactly a good way to gauge and train the genin I have."

Sarutobi's eyebrows shot up.

Training genin through the low-intensity missions was a time honored practice. Besides, taking out one of the genin teams would open a hole in the schedule, no matter how small.

"Sarutobi-sama, the team I have is... far from ordinary. They have potential, but also issues that need to be addressed or the team as a whole will be flawed." Kakashi looked at Sarutobi seriously. "I need time. Two months. And then I promise you Team 7 will be back on the rooster."

The old Kage looked at his subordinate for a long moment, lghting his pipe.

"Well now... At least your unusual request in regards of the money makes sense, considering they won't be taking the missions for the duration," he said exhaling the smoke. "I imagine you also want full use of one of the larger training grounds?"

"71, Hokage-sama. If it is available of course."

"71..." Sarutobi frowned. "The Waterfall Course, Kakashi?"

The jounin nodded.

"The water will be useful for what I have in mind. Besides, it gives Haku the ready source of water for the Suiton and Hyoton."

"Nidaime's old training ground, hmm...?" The Hokage exhaled the smoke. "Yes. It is free. Had been for a long time. Almost nobody trains there anymore. It is too far for most to bother. I can give it to you for the duration if you need it."

"I would be grateful, Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded. "About Haku..."

"The girl will be free in a few days. She is just held for questioning." Sarutobi waved the question away dismissively. "Just questions, she is well treated." The old man smirked. "After all, we can't alienate our future shinobi and newest member of Konoha's clan community, now can we?"

Kakashi smiled.

"By your leave then, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi nodded.

Kakashi poofed away with a quick shunshin.

Sarutobi looked at the space taken by the jounin not to long before for a long moment, puffing his pipe thoughtfully, before he smiled faintly.

"Who would have suspected..."

The old man chuckled.

"I should have forced him to pass a team years before." he muttered, getting back into his paperwork in a surprisingly good mood.

'I wonder if teaching can have effects on others.' He bit his pipe thoughtfully. 'I wonder if assigning a team to Anko would-' He paled, imagining three white-coated, snake-summoning, dango-addicted genin.

'...on the other hand, maybe not.' He shuddered. 'At least Kakashi's genins won't inherit his little manias.'

---

Sakura giggled, blushing faintly as she sat on the branch.

'Oh my... so limber. I wonder if it's possible?' her blush got even deeper as she turned the page. 'Maybe Kakashi-sensei knows?'

She giggled as she read another page, Inner Sakura out cold long ago. The morning was crisp and surprisingly cold, though not as much when she mastered the little trick that Haku taught her during the return from Wave. Still, it was too cold for her usual dresses. On the other hand, the outfit from Wave, considering it had a jacket, was more than enough. Besides, it allowed her to store Icha Icha better.

Sakura patted her jacket's inner pockets affectionately.

She wondered how she could ever begrudge Kakashi-sensei the precious little orange books.

Why, it was ART!

...well, it was porn. But it was well written, very fine, very good porn. And she read it for the romance and the plot.

Not for porn. Of course.

This didn't stop her from hiding the precious books from her mother, but oh well. One had to suffer for the true art, right? Besides, the first person to get her books would get a kunai in the face. Seriously.

Art needed to be protected from the simpletons that didn't understand it and couldn't give it the reverence it deserved.

"...kura-chan! Sakura-chan!"

The pink haired girl blinked owlishly, turning to Naruto.

"...you said something?" she asked with confusion.

Sasuke snorted from his perch on the tree above her.

The blond just sighed heavily, muttering something about 'contagious perverts' and looked at her.

"I asked if you knew anything about Haku. I mean, the ANBU took her after we reported to the Old Man... And she's been gone since yesterday..." Naruto fidgeted.

"Don't worry. She's all right. She is a guest of ANBU, they just need to answer her a few questions. It's the procedure."

Team Seven blinked collectively.

Three pairs of eyes looked to the side.

Kakashi blinked.

"Is there something on my face?"

"...You are..." Naruto said incredulously.

"...on time...?" Sasuke finished dumbly.

"Sensei, did something happen to your Icha Icha?" Sakura asked with creeping dread.

'No! It can't be true! The fates can't be that cruel!' Screamed Inner Sakura.

"Don't worry, Sakura," Kakashi said cheerfully, "Icha Icha is safe. I would never let any harm befall The True Art."

The girl slumped with relief.

Kakashi patted his student on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said solemnly, "I should, of all people, have understood. Please, forgive your sensei. Here." He pulled a small orange book from his vest, patting Sakura's head. "Enjoy."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"For me?" Her eyes sparkled as she hugged the book. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi smiled cheerfully.

Naruto palmed his face while Sasuke just stared.

"What?" Sakura said defensively, hugging her book to her chest.

---

"Welcome to the training ground 71, otherwise known as the Waterfall Course."

Team Seven took in the view.

The area was a forest clearing, deep into Konoha's forest, far enough from the center to be almost outside the village. It was surrounded by mountains on one side and forest on the other. The clearing was large, far larger than their usual training area and filled with several waterfalls, as well as a moderately-sized river flowing through the middle of it.

"The name, as you can see, is self-evident. This training ground, despite its number, is one of the oldest in Konoha. In fact, it is almost entirely artificial, created by Shodai Hokage for his brother. This is where Nidaime honed his Suiton from before he was a genin to the time he was Hokage. It had been sporadically used by Suiton specialists, but our village doesn't have that many..." Kakashi shrugged. "Anyway. From today, this is our training ground. Your home away from home, you might say. I expect to see you here the very moment after you are awake and this is what you will see when you go to sleep."

"Um... Sensei?" Sakura raised her hand. Training was good, but... "What about missions?"

"For the next two months training is your first, last and only occupation," Kakashi said flatly.

Sakura blinked owlishly.

"...huh?"

"Each of you has potential as a shinobi. Each of you has some skill. Some talent. But you hardly use it." Kakashi explained patiently. "Each of you has holes in your skill set. It is not really your fault in most cases. You can't expect the Academy to cater to the needs of each individual genin hopeful. But that needs to change."

He looked at the stupefied team.

"You have proven yourself in Wave. You have proven your potential. But you have also proven that you have a long way to go and had made some elementary mistakes that you shouldn't."

He reached into his flak jacket, withdrawing two sheets of paper.

"Sasuke, Naruto. Your chakra control improved a great deal, however it would do with some fine tuning. Expanding also wouldn't be bad. Naruto, you already know water walking from what I saw. Show Sasuke the basics and then I want you to complete the exercise set I have written out for you."

"Heh heh." Naruto grinned at Sasuke. "Who's the better ninja now, bastard?"

"Feh." Sasuke snorted, "As if a dead-last like you can teach me an-"

"I don't want any bickering, you two." Kakashi looked at his genin. "You are a team. Act like it. Part of teamwork is learning from each other. Good ninja are always ready to learn."

Naruto and Sasuke grumbled, but complied.

"The fourth waterfall from the left. The one with the larger lake that the river goes through." Kakashi pointed. "You should use that one. Follow the instructions and you should be fine. Don't try it all at once. And remember to rest. This is not something brute force alone can accomplish."

The two boys walked away.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei...?" Sakura looked at her teacher.

"This exercise is not for you, Sakura." Kakashi shook his head. "There is nothing that you'd learn from it, your control already surpasses theirs several times over. You'd pick up water walking immediately but otherwise it would be a waste of time." the jounin explained patiently. "I will teach you water walking soon, but for now there is another aspect we must address. Those two lack control but have something that you lack - brute force. Their chakra reserves are far bigger than yours, by several orders of magnitude."

"But, sensei, aren't kunoichi naturally weaker than men in that?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

Kakashi sighed.

"I have to introduce you to a woman named Mitarashi Anko someday, you'll change your mind quickly, but yes. Generally it seems like that, for reasons I won't go into right now. But it isn't like you have a set amount of chakra, Sakura. You simply need some intensive training to increase the reserves."

"Oh." Sakura closed her mouth, feeling stupid. After all, Iruka-sensei often told them chakra was like a muscle. The analogy was obvious.

"But before that..." Kakashi reached into his vest, taking out a long, thin scroll. "There is something I think you can use."

Sakura looked at the scroll seriously as Kakashi unrolled it, making several seals.

A second and a small poof of smoke later there was a long, slender wooden box on the ground.

"Both Sasuke and Naruto have natural advantages," Kakashi said, sitting on the ground and motioning for Sakura to do the same. "Things they were born with, things that any ninja would like to have. For Sasuke it is his sharingan, a powerful blood limit despite its drawbacks, if he can use it right. Naruto is gifted with incredible stamina, his chakra capacity is far higher than mine will probably ever be and his recuperative powers are nothing short of miraculous." He looked at Sakura. "Sakura, as you are, you are the weakest fighter of team 7." The girl flinched, and Kakashi continued, "While this will be addressed in training, here is something that might very well be your advantage." He unfastened the lid, sliding the box to Sakura.

The girl, blinked, opening it and looked inside curiously.

She frowned, looking t the elegant, simple shape of the sword inside the wooden box.

'Katana...? No. Too short. Longer than a wakizashi. Ninjato... or kodachi.'

She looked at her teacher questioningly.

"Take it. It's for you." He said simply.

Sakura nodded, puzzled.

She had been trained in the basics of ninja weapons, but a kodachi was not among them.

'Why would Kakashi-sensei give me a sword?' she thought with confusion. 'I mean, it's not like it can help me like Sasuke-kun's sharingan or anyth-'

Her eyes widened as her fingers closed over the hilt. She gasped, stiffening as something akin to an electric shock went through her body.

It was... weird.

Like the first time she had performed a jutsu, like the first time she accessed her chakra. Not identical, but similar.

Kakashi stared.

He knew that girl had great control, but he didn't count on much. At worst, his pupil would have a very good quality chakra sword. With her control and some training he could give her, it would be a very useful asset to the young kunoichi. And it's not like he used it much anyway after he had it reforged.

But this...

Sakura got her bearings, finally managing to focus as the odd feeling subsided.

She blinked, looking down.

"Ah... Sensei...?" she asked puzzled, "Is it supposed to glow white?"

---

Jump.

Slide.

Wheel left. Kick off from the rock. Land on the water.

Slide.

Jump on one leg.

Sasuke sweated as he went through the seemingly idiotic routing of random jumps, sprints, walks and other things shown in Kakashi's instructions.

They _seemed_ idiotic.

They were, really.

He felt like a hundred percent idiot going through them for the first time on the dry land.

After Naruto had showed him the water walking exercise, however, Sasuke discovered the exercises were not only idiotic - they were incredibly hard to do while practicing the newly learned skill.

He fell in more often than not. He had yet to complete even one full routine. Which galled him, since Naruto already completed one of his. Just one, though. And the idiot did know water walking first.

Though Sasuke didn't want to think about it.

He really didn't. Each time he did he ended up in water again.

He'd have scoffed at the 'training' before the whole tree walking episode. But now, he knew that as pointless as it seemed it had a reason.

He winced as his legs lost their balance and he fell, face-first into the water.

'It BETTER have a reason...'

He pulled himself up using the nearby rock and took a deep breath before jumping back into the routine.

The thing was far harder than it looked. Just standing was difficult. Running at varying speeds, jumping, and 'sliding'... Well, now that was bloody hard. He could feel his chakra leaking away as if it was the water soaking his clothes.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he saw his blond teammate complete a surprisingly graceful, if not as good as his, flip and land on the water easily, breaking into a run.

He was NOT going to be worse that some dead-last idiot!

The Uchiha scion gritted his teeth and leaped into the routine.

---

"This is the White Fang." Kakashi looked at Sakura. "It was my father's chakra blade. It is unique, the only weapon of its kind and one of the most powerful and precise chakra blades in the world."

"Your father...? But...!" Sakura blanched. "Kakashi-sensei, it... I can't take this!"

"You will." Kakashi looked at the pulsing white glow. "Sakura, for me White Fang is just a sword. A very good, very sharp chakra sword. In the hands of my father it was a legendary blade, unbreakable, indestructible. In mine?" He shrugged. "I broke it."

Sakura blinked.

"For all my skill, I can't make it behave that much more than any chakra blade. It takes most of my chakra to get a faint white aura of it." He pointed at the blade. "The one the White Fang is giving off right now dwarfs mine roughly thrice. And I can barely feel any chakra used."

Sakura stared at the blade with fascination.

"It feels... odd," she muttered, "I know it is a sword but..." She slid her fingers over the blade. "It feels almost... alive. Like a part of me. An extra hand or something," She said, puzzled.

Kakashi nodded slowly.

That was how his father described it. Kakashi tried to look for that deep connection many times, but he never even came close.

And Sakura just touched the blade once...

'Remarkable...' He smiled faintly. 'Sword. The girl really is a sword. Who would have thought?'

"As a chakra sword, White Fang has several useful abilities, like channeling jutsu, but that we will get into later." The jounin looked at his student. "For now, you must know that the sword you are holding is far sharper and sturdier than any other normal weapon. There is very little this fang can't cut when used properly. Also..." he frowned thoughtfully. 'How did the old man put it? "Sakura, could you touch your thumb on the blade? Very, very gently. I want to check something."

Sakura nodded, touching the blade.

She frowned.

'Wasn't' it supposed to be sharp?' She pressed the finger with puzzlement. 'It's like pressing blunt wood. Or some pipe. Weird.'

The pink haired girl turned to her teacher, opening her mouth, only for her eyes to widen as Kakashi calmly slid a thick branch over the edge.

Stunned, Sakura watched as the sturdy wood fell to the side, neatly cut in half.

"'Fang does not wound the master.'" Kakashi said thoughtfully, "That's what my father used to say." He looked at Sakura with a smile. "Seems like it found itself a master now, hmm?"

Sakura just stared at the glowing weapon.

---

Sakura looked at her two teammates, or rather the unconscious sacks of flesh balanced on her sensei's shoulders.

"Seems like they ended up making it some sort of a contest," Kakashi said cheerfully. "I had to rescue them or they'd have drowned."

Sakura blinked, before sighing heavily as Kakashi laid the two genin on the grass.

'Sasuke-kun... Naruto... Why are you so stubborn?'

She wiped the sweat from her brow.

Kakashi worked with her through some basic chakra weapon exercises. First and most basic one was reducing the odd glow of the weapon. It lessened the power slightly, according to Kakashi, but with such a rapport as she had with the weapon she should be able to keep the power flowing without problems. And it wasn't like she could always allow the blade to glow like that.

Sakura swallowed, looking at the tree she hacked to pieces.

'If that's 'low power'...'

Still, the blade was incredibly demanding. Holding it was okay, but using it a completely different matter altogether. Also, it tended to drain power at incredible rate.

Kakashi just smiled and advised her to hold the blade on her person at all times and pump chakra to it constantly as a part of her chakra expansion regimen. He gave her a sheath to contain the glow when she was too tired to control it herself.

This was harder than it looked. Comparing to that, the tree walking was a breeze.

And she really didn't like that 'strength and speed training' bit that her teacher mentioned offhandedly.

"So what now, sensei?"

"Now, we wait until they wake up." Kakashi shrugged, reaching into his vest. "You are too tired to go on as well for now."

"Ah." Sakura smiled happily, reaching into her jacket and snapping open her own book.

"No, no, no." Kakashi tsked, "You are wasting strength and making noise. That's no good for the poor book." The copycat pressed his thumb gently, snapping the book open. "See? Easy. Quick. No fuss. The grip is solid, but loose, to prevent cramps. You can turn pages with the same hand just by using the thumb."

"Oooh." Sakura nodded, trying to copy her teacher.

With dignity the master and student sat, their backs pressed on the same stone.

A second later two giggles, one male and one girlish, could be heard.

---

Naruto winced, rubbing his arm.

He liked the fact that Kakashi-sensei started to pay attention to them. Sure the not-lateness was... just plain weird, but cool. Still, as much as he thought that their teacher was 'not quite there' with his quirks before, he was now sure that Hatake Kakashi was nuts.

Each day, for the past week, he gave them some weird-ass routine and ordered to run through it until they both dropped. And they did.

'As if I'd let that bastard be better than me!' the blond scowled.

He didn't know what the point of the jumping, flipping, and running shit was, but he had to admit that the stuff was tiresome.

Especially since the time Kakashi ordered them to train on the waterfall.

Running water was _not_ fun.

Cold running water even less. Especially when you fell in it time and time again.

And the less said about the day that Sakura went through the same routine like they did almost as an afterthought, the better.

Naruto always knew Sakura was awesome, but he had no idea just how much.

'Well, Sasuke-bastard did say she mastered tree-walking right away.'

That sword thing Kakashi-sensei gave her was just plain cool. Though getting hit by a mutilated trunk of a falling oak was less so. That White Fang thing was fucking deadly - he sincerely prayed he didn't piss Sakura off now. She just might pull it on him.

The boy watched the gate of the building open and banished thoughts of stupidly sharp chakra blades from his mind.

Haku, her kimono immaculately white as always, walked out of the office building, a large bundle that was Kubikiri Houcho under wraps and on her back.

There was no hitai-ate, mask, or any accessory that identified her as a ninja. She, for all intents and purposes, looked like an attractive, normal girl with something large on her back.

She bowed with a smile.

"Naruto-sama."

"Geez..." Naruto rubbed his head in embarrassment. "You don't need to call me that. Just Naruto, okay?"

"As you wish." Haku nodded.

"You... well, you okay?" He scowled. "Those ANBU guys didn't...?"

"They were polite." She shook her head. "Very... to the point, but polite. I wasn't even held in a cell. They just asked some questions and dealt with procedures. Nothing more."

"Oh," Naruto sighed with relief, "Fine. That's fine."

Haku smiled faintly.

While there was no need for him to worry about her, it did feel... nice.

---

The black haired young woman put her (it was so odd - _hers_, it was Zabuza-sama's prized sword and now it was hers) zanbato carefully by the wall, looking around.

The apartment was fairly small, just a small kitchen, two rooms, where one was little more than a large closet, really, and a bathroom. That was it.

The furniture was simple and obviously not exactly new, but the whole flat was surprisingly neat and well kept for one boy living alone.

"Well... it ain't much but..." Naruto said embarrassedly, "It's home, I guess."

Haku smiled.

Their last place with Zabuza-sama was luxurious comparing to the lodgings they were used to, but the life of the fugitive taught her to value every safe place with a bed as a luxury.

"It is fine, Naruto-sama. More than fine, really."

Naruto glared.

"Naruto." She nodded apologetically. "Forgive me."

"Eh. Nothing to forgive," he muttered, "But Naruto-sama feels... weird"  
"I can imagine." She looked around, noticing the lack of second bed. "Will I be sleeping with you?"

Naruto blinked, before reddening.

"Wh- whee wha?! I mean... no!" He sputtered.

Haku blinked.

"Is there a problem?" She asked.

"Yeah! I mean, no. I mean..." He scowled, looking at her twitching lips. "You set me up!" he said accusingly.

Haku nodded, a faint smile on her face.

It wouldn't do to tell him of more... delicate things. For now.

But then, he was a young man. She was an attractive young woman. Life on the road didn't exactly help in honing the kunoichi skills, especially when passing for a boy, but she knew what her duties were.

Zabuza-sama wanted just a weapon but if he wanted more... well, she was a tool. And a tool had to serve its master to the best of its abilities. So did she.

For now, though...

'For now.' she thought privately.

---

"Yo!"

Naruto almost chocked on his morning ramen.

"Good morning, Kakashi-san." Haku nodded at the older man.

"I see Ibiki let you go." Kakashi smiled kindly, "Good."

"Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto frowned. "Training's not for half an hour yet."

"Oh, nothing important. Just here to drop off your paycheck." Kakashi shrugged, giving the paper to Naruto.

Naruto's jaw dropped and even Haku was impressed.

"...daaaamn... Now that's... a lot of money," the blond whispered in awe.

Kakashi nodded.

"Keep in mind that you won't be getting more for the next two months." he cautioned. "Though you can safely spend some of it without problems on non-essential things, be careful. You won't be getting another one like this for quite a while."

"Sure thing, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grinned. 'Ramen... so... much... ramen...'

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, hearing the somewhat demented giggle and sighed when he heard 'ramen' as the boy went out of the kitchen.

'So predictable.' He looked at Haku. "I see you had your talk with Sandaime-sama already."

The girl nodded slowly.

Kakashi looked at her thoughtfully.

"Did he talk with you about your position?"

"I will be a joining the Konoha ranks after a probationary period of three months and a placement test."

"So you are free." Kakashi cocked his head to the side. "Would you be interested in helping Team Seven?"

Haku raised an eyebrow.

"As long as it helps Naruto-sama."

"Oh it will." Kakashi smiled. "Believe me it will."

---

"Good morning, my cute students." Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "I'd like you to welcome our newest addition to the training regime."

Haku smiled, bowing.

"Sakura, you will be working on speed with Haku today." He pointed at the nearby river. "There should be more than enough water for your blood limit, Haku."

"Indeed," she nodded, "Shall we, Sakura-san?"

The pink haired girl looked at Kakashi.

"Umm... Kakashi-sensei... Haku-san is fast enough to match Sasuke-kun's sharingan. I am nowhere near that fast." she said hesitantly.

"Of course not. Not yet." Kakashi nodded sagely. "That's why you will be dodging."

"Dodging?" Sakura blinked.

A single needle of ice formed in Haku's hand.

Sakura paled.

"Now, run along and have fun!" The copycat waved them away cheerfully watching as the gently smiling Haku led the stiff, pale girl away.

"Now Sasuke, Naruto. The waterfall routine you will be d-"

"No."

Kakashi blinked, looking at Sasuke.

The Uchiha scion had a scowl on his face, fists clenched.

"I won't do it."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" he said calmly.

"I said I won't do it," Sasuke growled. "This whole jumping... running... I feel like an IDIOT. And I mastered it anyway. You said you'd train me? Then train me. I need to learn jutsu. I need power. I need to master my sharingan. Not jump around like some idiot!"

"Oh?" Kakashi looked at Naruto, pocketing his Icha Icha. "Naruto, can you go ahead and start the exercise without Sasuke? He will be joining you shortly."

The blond nodded, going away.

"Mastered it, hmm?" Kakashi looked at the Uchiha, before setting into a loose stance, motioning for the boy to come at him lazily. "Come on. Show me, then."

Sasuke smirked.

He knew he had no chance against Kakashi for now, but fighting strong opponents was what he needed now.

'Besides, I might see how he makes his sharingan work. I have my own now, I can force him to reveal it,' he thought smugly, before charging the older man.

"This won't be like before, Kakashi!" he growled, activating his blood limit. "I have the sharingan now! Your moves, I can see them all!"

Kakashi leaned back avoiding the kick, and then weaved out of the punch. He ducked, before straightening up and calmly planting the open palm in Sasuke's gut.

The Uchiha's eyes widened as the air escaped his lungs with a hiss.

Viciously, Kakashi pulled at Sasuke's arm, spinning him right in the way of his knee.

Sasuke screamed as the knee impacted his kidneys, before he slid down.

"Can you, now?" Kakashi said, letting the Uchiha fall down. "Want to know something interesting, Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi put his hands in the pockets, leaning on the tree lazily as he watched the boy struggling to get up. "I'm currently using around the same amount of chakra that is expected of an ordinary genin to enhance my speed and power. Meaning below yours. I'm not using jutsu. I'm not using weapons. And I still managed to beat you. Imagine that."

Sasuke coughed, getting up, spitting the blood from his split lip, glaring at the jounin hatefully.

"The famed Uchiha Kasen Ryu's blows are supposed to be like its name - deadly arrows of fire." Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Exaggerated, I see, hmm? What a shame."

Sasuke paled.

To be compared to the ordinary riffraff was one thing... but insulting the noble Uchiha style...!

His fingers made the seals nearly without thought as the Goukakyu no Jutsu came out purely fueled by rage.

Sasuke's eyes widened as the blaze suddenly exploded with greater intensity than he expected.

"Burning a Kawarimi log from such a close proximity has that kind of effect." Sasuke screamed as Kakashi's elbow struck his back, only to be followed by leg sweep and a kick.

The Uchiha shook his head, trying to spit out the sand and blood as he crawled to his feet.

"Wasting so much chakra on barely a C-class technique..." Kakashi pulled out his Icha Icha lazily. "Seems like you didn't master your training after all."

"Then teach me..." Sasuke coughed, spitting the sand. "Teach me!"

"That's exactly what I am doing, Sasuke. Only you don't want to learn. Nothing I can do about it," the jounin said, looking up from his Icha Icha. "I can't force you to learn. You must want it. Otherwise my hands are tied."

"Then teach me! I need that power! I need jutsu! I need my sharingan as strong as it can be!" Sasuke clenched his fists so much his knuckles were white. "I must be stronger! Stronger! Stronger that HIM!" The sharingan spun like mad as the boy looked at Kakashi, hate burning in his eyes. "Don't you see?! POWER! Only power can allow me to kill that bastard and avenge my family! I must be better than him! I must be stronger than him! How can some childish jumping help me in that?! You have the sharingan, you know how powerful it is! I NEED that power! You must teach me how to handle it, how to get it!"

Kakashi looked at the raging Uchiha for a long moment, before closing his book and putting it inside his vest.

"Sharingan, hmm?" He sighed, before looking at the sky thoughtfully. "Did you know that Itachi was my subordinate?"

Sasuke blinked.

"He was. In my ANBU days. I was his mentor then - he was my vice-captain for a while." Kakashi looked at the Uchiha. "He had his sharingan mastered by then. He was barely eleven, too."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, looking down.

"But... there was one interesting thing about Itachi." Kakashi muttered thoughtfully. "Did you know that he almost never, unless it was life-or-death, used his sharingan to copy jutsu?"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi without comprehension.

"...But... that's the Uchiha way..." he said dumbly, "To counter the opponent's best with... but he knew so MANY jutsu and..."

"And he learned them all the old fashioned way." Kakashi said calmly, "It was a little quirk of his I couldn't understand at first. Why learn jutsu, any jutsu, when your sharingan can copy it, add it and lets you never forget?" He tapped his temple, the side of his head where his own sharingan rested. "That is how I did it. A thousand jutsu? More. I sometimes lost track of how many things my sharingan copied. But Itachi... he didn't. No matter how much work it took, he always learned the jutsu the hard way. Why?"

Sasuke stared.

It was illogical. Sharingan could copy hundreds of jutsu effortlessly. All Uchiha with mastered sharingan were walking jutsu libraries - they saw jutsu, it was theirs. It was so much a habit that any Uchiha who learned the jutsu normal way was pitied, from what Sasuke could remember. Only jutsu library Uchiha had was the Katon and their taijutsu style, designed to work with sharingan. No more. It was the point of pride to them, the highest art. Predict, avoid effortlessly, and kill the enemy with their own prized jutsu. It was the Uchiha way.

Why would the strongest Uchiha in generations learn the jutsu like some third-rate commoner...?

"I can tell you why." Kakashi looked at Sasuke calmly. "Sharingan copies. You can perform jutsu perfectly, but that's it. You don't know how it works. Why. How it can be perfected. If you want to master it, you need to pull it apart. Perform it hundreds of times. _Learn_ it. Itachi's genius wasn't his sharingan, Sasuke. It was his ability to learn. To understand jutsu. That is why he was so strong. Part of the reason, at least. It was hard work. Itachi spent his every waking moment training - he worked himself to the bone day in day out. He clocked more time on ANBU training fields than whole squads combined."

Sasuke stared at Kakashi, eyes wide.

"The only person who came close is a man named Maito Gai, for whom training is like religion. When Itachi was too tired to train, he forced himself to go to the jutsu library and spent most of the time there. It was so frequent he slept in his ANBU office because it was easier to train that way." Kakashi sighed. "Chasing after the sharingan won't let you beat Itachi. Chasing blindly after 'power' without understanding or skill to handle it won't help you either. Oh, you will become strong, yes. But Itachi will crush you no matter how much 'power' you will get."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke expressionlessly.

"Why? Because when you use a grandiose jutsu, he won't need his sharingan to understand it. He will see it. He will analyze it. He will find its weak points. He will find your weak points. He will see through your strategies. He will see holes even you are not aware of. Then he will use them, and he will kill you." Kakashi snapped his fingers. "Just like that. There will be no grand battle, no speeches. No righteous vengeance. Just Itachi seeing through all your power and calmly ending your life with a snip of the kunai without missing a step. That's Itachi's way."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi, his eyes wide and disbelieving, frozen.

'That's... no... that... it can't...' he thought desperately, looking at his calm teacher. 'He lies, I... power... With power when...'

He shook his head desperately.

'With power I can...!'

But... the Uchiha Clan _had_ power, right? And Itachi killed them all... Itachi who was an S-class nin. Itachi who was stronger than any Uchiha before he was fourteen.

And as much as he hated that, he remembered. Itachi. Itachi who, during his chuunin exam, calmly went around the older chuunin-hopeful, around his Doryuudan - the jutsu that shocked even judges, and touched his dagger against the older man's throat.

Just like that.

An A-class jutsu versus a simple kunai.

'Irony...' Sasuke felt ash in his mouth. 'Itachi... he always loved irony...'

'Live in an unsightly manner...'

Sasuke closed his eyes.

He slumped forward, his eyes unseeing.

"...I... will... match... him... I can," he whispered, "The power... But... what else...?"

"You have potential, Sasuke." Kakashi laid a hand on the broken boy's arm. "You have potential. More than just potential of an 'Uchiha'. Or Itachi. With right attitude, you can surpass him."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi, his eyes unfocused.

"You have something Itachi never had Sasuke. And because of that you will surpass him."

Sasuke blinked.

"Something... Itachi doesn't have?"

"Fear." Kakashi looked at Sasuke calmly. "You know fear. And that's precisely why you will surpass him. Skill and power... those I can teach you. You will surpass him."

"That's... ridiculous..." Sasuke muttered. "Fear... how does fear help me?"

Kakashi's eye 'smiled'.

"You will learn, Sasuke." He hefted him up. "For now..." He pointed at the river. "Go. Naruto is several sets above you now, hmm?"

Sasuke nodded dumbly.

Kakashi looked at his student's back.

'Sasuke... you will soon learn that single-mindedness for all of its rewards, limits a person. Focus is necessary, but it can be a trap for the mind. Itachi never could understand it. You will,' he sighed.

With a poof of Shunshin, he was away.

---

The Copycat stood in front of the memorial stone, posture slumped.

'I haven't talked to you guys in a while. Sorry.'

He sat on the ground, for once not reaching for the book.

'Obito, Rin... Minato-sensei... I have passed a team. You'd... like them. Those guys... they are so nostalgic.'

Kakashi looked at the engraved names.

'I never expected a lot out of them. They have potential but...' He rubbed his temples. 'You'd like them, sensei. The arrogant asshole, the loudmouth and the fan girl. Of course, the fan girl is focused on the arrogant asshole and the loudmouth isn't just loud, but... yeah. I think... you'd like them.'

He smiled faintly.

'Rin... you'd have loved Naruto. He is everything you liked about men. Confident, never goes back on his word and can't seem to stand still for a moment. If he'd been there with us, well... I think you'd have a world sized crush on him.'

He chuckled.

'Obito... Sasuke is... Unlike you, to say the least. Looking at him I see... an angrier version of myself. Not as cold, but one as arrogant. Remember that guy? The fucker too cool to say hello? Well...' Kakashi shrugged. 'It's like deja vu, really. Maybe why I can understand him so well.' He straightened up.

'Sensei. Sakura... Sakura I think you'd like a lot. You'd love to teach her. She is just a girl. She seems like an ordinary teenage girl but... she can be so much more. Weak, but strong. Sword... she is like a blunt sword. But I will sharpen her. All I can, all I have to teach... I will give her. Them. Like you gave me. For us all, Sensei... please. Give your blessings to Team Seven. Forgive me. It will be some time before I can visit you all.'

The Copycat bowed his head.

'I was... afraid of them. They look... so much like us. It's like a dark mirror. A cruel reflection. But...' Kakashi's hands clenched. 'But... Fate... that ugly thing. It can be changed. It can. I saw it with my own eyes now. So please... watch over us.'

He stood up slowly.

Oddly enough, for the first time, he felt... good. Light. Without that odd weight on his shoulders as he straightened up to his full height.

"I'm... off." He nodded to the memorial, for once not seeing Obito's crushed body, Rin's tears, or his sensei's corpse.

He saw Obito's determination, Rin's hands glowing green with healing power, and sensei's smile even as he fell, his life claimed by the Shiki Fuujin.

'I... with my own hands I swear I will change this fate!'

With a swirl of leaves, Hatake Kakashi went back to his students.

---


	5. Chapter 5

Edited by Skelethin

* * *

Livewire

Chapter 5

* * *

"High Voltage"

* * *

The light of dawn licked the water gently, allowing it to sparkle faintly and cheerfully as the new day began.

The morning dew thick, the grass looked pleasant and fresh, as if no man ever set foot on it. The hum of the waterfall and faint whistling of the wind blowing through the trees completed the idyllic, lazy image.

"Good morning, my cute students!" Kakashi cheerfully exclaimed, pocketing his Icha Icha as three bedraggled genin made their way to the training ground, followed by a serious faced but far better groomed Haku.

Sasuke was glaring at Kakashi, rubbing his wrist discretely, Sakura was yawning, barely seeing anything and still half sleeping, while Naruto looked to be asleep period.

Kakashi smirked under his mask.

After the past two weeks, it was a wonder they could get up so early at all. He said he'd be expecting them first thing in the morning. He kept his promise. Using cruel and inventive methods to get them there, ranging from Suiton jutsu to timed Raiton seals on their pillows.

Honestly - you couldn't really blame him. Ninja were supposed to be attentive, not sleeping like a logs. Even if he WAS a former ANBU praised for his stealth.

'Gai is full of it.' Kakashi thought forlornly. 'This is supposed to be this 'energetic youth' he is spouting those endless rants about?'

"I trust you had a good rest?"

Sasuke threw him a glare, but the sharingan didn't activate. The boy learned to conserve his energy pretty early on.

Sakura just stared at him blankly. The pink haired girl didn't get angry at him. Or rather, if she ever got angry, Kakashi could pacify her in a heart beat. Jiraya-sama was a VERY prolific author after all and Kakashi had each and every book of the series, along with ultra rare ones that were long out of print as well as limited editions.

Naruto... well, Naruto looked...

Kakashi blinked, looking at the trees.

"Haku... Why is Naruto hanging tied in his own wires?"

Haku smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-san. Naruto-sama stayed up late last night and... well. He says it is comfortable."

"Oh." Kakashi nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I see." He turned to Sakura. "Sakura, if you would...?"

The pink haired girl blinked owlishly, yawned and turned to the trees.  
The fang was out of the sheath on her back in a fluid move, the grip solid yet loose, Kakashi nodded with appreciation.

'...But why is she drawing the sw-'

The blade blazed with white as Sakura calmly walked up and sawed the branches with two efficient swings.

The elaborate construct of wire, genin and tree fell down with a loud crash and Sakura walked down, covering a large yawn.

"Well I just wanted you to wake him up... But I guess this works too." The jounin said after a moment.

Naruto glared, cursing under his breath.

"Well, since I seem to have your full attention..." Kakashi's eye 'smiled' and he reached into his pouch, withdrawing a thick stack of clear sheets of paper and a scroll. "Sakura." He threw the sleepy-eyed girl the scroll. "This is a scroll of basic techniques and chakra channeling skills for chakra blades. I modified it a little so it is suited for you and White Fang."

Sakura blinked, opening the scroll.

"...Sensei... There is a lot of diagrams here." She muttered curiously.

"Those are for proper chakra distribution. A book with illustrations is easier to read, after all." Kakashi smiled at her.

"...Please don't treat me like a child, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura muttered, eyebrow twitching.

"A child?" Kakashi blinked. "But I was thinking about the Icha Icha vacation volume."

Sakura blinked owlishly.

"The 'holiday extravaganza'?" She asked after a moment. "The one with Suzu and Kotone and that swimsuit..." Sakura trailed of, blushing pure scarlet and giggling. "Oh!"

"Exactly." Kakashi nodded. "The diagrams aren't as good, but bear with it."

"Well, it was a great number. And the 'light novel' approach was great, too. I mean, Mari-san looked so beautiful in that yukata, in the moonlight and that maple leaf pattern was really great touch there, in that garden and-" Sakura giggled, blushing.

"Ah. As expected of my cute student." Kakashi patted Sakura's head. "Being able to remember such details after reading it once. Good job, Sakura! Ninja should have sharp eye for detail!"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!" The pink haired kunoichi nodded happily.

Naruto just sighed while Sasuke snorted.

"Anyway, go and study it a little, Sakura. There a couple of exercises I want to show you and it is better that you know the theory behind them before I show you."

Sakura frowned.

"Now?" She asked with surprise. "But I have the running regime set up with Haku-san."

"Not today." The copycat shook his head. "In fact, as far as this part of the training is concerned, you are done with it. Today, the preparationary period is over and we can get to some real training."

Team 7 looked at each other, clearly puzzled.

"Your bodies weren't exactly ready for the training. Not if it was to be done properly." Kakashi explained. "Sakura - you weakness is stamina, strength and overall physical ability. Your regime was thus the most physically intensive." Kakashi pointed at the Uchiha. "Sasuke, your control isn't half bad, but it could use some fine tuning, along with expanding your stamina. Constant chakra exercises while jumping around are ideal for that. Naruto, yours was similar, though more oriented for control." Kakashi smiled wryly. "What, you didn't think I'd have you running around the Waterfall Course for laughs, now did you?"

"...Well, all things considered..." Sasuke muttered, glaring at the jounin.

"Hell YEAH you would have." Naruto didn't have any need for tact.

"Hmm..." Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before smiling and nodding cheerfully. "Yes, I guess I would have."

"...I can't believe that guy..." Naruto muttered while Sasuke 'hnned' with annoyance. "Seriously, how can you stand him, Sakura-chan?" Naruto turned to the pink haired kunoichi. "...Oi, Sakura-chan... Sakura-"

"Just leave her be." Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes.

The girl blinked, looking up from the scroll.

"...You were saying something?" She asked with puzzlement.

Naruto glared at Kakashi.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." The blond muttered through his gritted teeth.

"Oh." Sakura nodded absently, wandering to the nearest stone, engrossed in the scroll.

"Don't go too far away." Kakashi cautioned. "I will need to show you a few things today."

The kunoichi nodded, not bothering to reply as she studied the scroll, mouthing something to herself.

"Well now, Sasuke." Kakashi looked at the Uchiha scion. "There is an exercise that will greatly aid you in mastery of your sharingan."

Sasuke perked up, looking at Kakashi eagerly.

"It is called Yotsuba." Kakashi leafed through the stack of paper, making sure they all came off loosely. "After receiving my sharingan, I had to push it to mastery in a relatively short time. This is something I came up with to push that, with help of an ...well, you could call him an acquaintance I guess." Kakashi gave Sasuke the paper sheets. "This is chakra paper. It is not exactly cheap, so do be careful with it."

Sasuke blinked.

"...chakra paper?"

"It is a special kind of paper that reacts to chakra and affinity. But that's for later. Now all we need is it to react to chakra. The goal of this exercise is something you'd like." Kakashi said cheerfully. "Combat."

His hand made a familiar seal and Sasuke's eyes widened as the clearing was suddenly filled with Kage Bunshin. Only this time, it wasn't the familiar orange flood, but a new, olive-drab one.

"So I will be fighting your Kage Bunshin?" Sasuke scowled. "They are weaker and fall apart in one hit. How is THAT going to help me?"

"Now, now Sasuke." The crowd of identical jounins said with eerie unity that was, quite frankly, unnerving. "It is not that simple."

The clones grabbed the stack from Sasuke's hands, distributing it among themselves.

"You will be fighting, yes. But your goal is to hit a designated spot." Original Kakashi pointed at the various pieces, strips and sheets of paper that the clones were putting on themselves. "The placements will change, the clones will keep them moving, and they will constantly move as well." Kakashi warned. "This isn't as easy as it seems, Sasuke."

"They are still just clones." Sasuke smirked as he activated his sharingan. "Zabuza's weren't s-"

The Uchiha fell forward as a lazy jab hit his back. He twisted, trying to catch his attacker, only to fall on his face as a swift kick to the leg brought him down.

"They are jounin clones." Kakashi said blandly. "Mizu Bunshin are only tenth of original user's speed and strength. Kage Bunshin are much stronger than them."

Sasuke glared, spitting the grass.

"How is that going to help me with sharingan?"

"It will force you beyond your limits, all the while demanding precision." Kakashi said calmly. "The goal of Yotsuba is to push the body and mind into overdrive, to the point you are walking the edge. Sharingan, as I found, responds to that. When you force your senses to work beyond their capability while finding yourself hard pressed to predict and foresee an overwhelming opponent... or a crowd of them - that is the way to coax the sharingan out." Kakashi explained. "The paper is for several reasons. Providing a clear target zone is one. The second is the way of training your control. It will react and change color when hit by enough chakra, but only when your limbs channel it right."

"...This is..." Sasuke's eyes widened. Considering that sharingan ate chakra, movement was tiresome, add the proper channeling of chakra for speed and strength... "But-"

A fast jab to the stomach made him double over.

"No daydreaming during practice, Sasuke, hmm?" One of the clones smiled.

"Don't let your thoughts wander!" Sasuke barely rolled away from a stomp from another only to hiss as a kick met his shoulder.

"Too slow." Another Kage Bunshin said blandly. The genin growled, snapping his kunai out and stabbing at the clone only to wince as a knife hand met his wrist. "Now now. Who said anything about weapons?" The Kage Bunshin tsked. "Unless you want me to use mine, hmm?" Sasuke blanched as the group of Kage Bunshin twirled a kunai each.

'...Maybe jumping wasn't so bad after all?'

* * *

"Naruto, your biggest weakness is, to put it frankly, overall chakra control." Kakashi said to the blond. "You made a huge progress, yes. But there is still much room for improvement."

Naruto winced slightly, but nodded.

"Though I guess Haku's presence helps?" The jounin said cheerfully and Naruto grinned slightly, rubbing his neck.

"Heh heh... Noticed that, didn't ya?"

"Indeed. You'd never be able to catch up to Sasuke in such a complicated routine if not for some help." Kakashi sighed. "Now, while I admire the dedication Naruto, be careful. Over training can be disastrous if you overdo it and if you are too tired, your performance will suffer. Understood?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Hey, I won't let that bastard win."

Kakashi sighed.

"This is _not_ a game, Naruto." He said tiredly. "It is not about winning or losing among teammates. It is about working together, about support. Honestly, Sasuke will always be better than you at some aspects-

"No WAY is that bastard bet-"

"-the same way _you_ will be better than him at some." Kakashi finished, not bothering to acknowledge his student's outburst.

"...Really?" Naruto said curiously.

"Chakra capacity, stamina, physical strength, durability... To name just a few." The jounin counted out. "But teams are for a _reason_ Naruto. You are not single units, lone shinobi. You are a team. Team supports each other, team makes use of each and every skill every shinobi assigned to it has." The copycat said seriously. "What one teammate lacks, other has and lends it to the team. Shared strength, Naruto. This is what a team is about."

"...Shared... strength?" The blond blinked owlishly.

"Yes. It is like a rope." Kakashi explained. "Each thread alone can only take so much. Bind them together, weave them in a pattern and you have something that is far stronger than each thread. You, Sasuke, Sakura - each of you have weaknesses. Even the best training won't rid you of all of them - it is impossible. But as long as you know what your weaknesses are and can work together well, they won't matter because you will be able to back each other up and make full use of your abilities."

"Oh." Naruto nodded slowly, before looking up at Kakashi. "But that bastard still isn't better than me!"

Kakashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

'...In one ear, out the other... Seriously.'

"But... I get ya, Kakashi-sensei. It is like... Like one of my wires, huh?" Naruto looked at his gloves, on his palms as always - not something he was willing to part with now for any reason.

Kakashi blinked.

"It is... eh, you know - one wire isn't so bad. I mean it is fast and stuff..." Naruto's hand snapped to the side and Kakashi saw the silvery flash cut a leaf away from the nearby tree. "But... When you have more of them..." Naruto's palm erupted as five wires were let loose form their usual resting place.

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow as the branch fell, cut in five places.

The copycat smiled.

"Yes, Naruto. Exactly like that." He looked at the cut branch thoughtfully. "By the way..."

The genin looked at him.

"Can you tell me what kind of training you are doing with your teacher?"

Naruto blinked.

"...Huh?"

"With the person who helped you with those." Kakashi pointed at the wires. "I don't want to make you do useless exercise when you could be doing something useful."

"But... Nobody helps me with those." Naruto looked at Kakashi oddly. "Well, Haku does... as a target practice."

Kakashi stared at his student.

"...You want to tell me that... Nobody taught you how to use combat wire?"

"Hell, until our fight with Zabuza, I've never known it could be done like that!" The blond shrugged.

Kakashi blinked once.

"Oh." He said finally.

While the boy could be lying, Kakashi didn't see it. For one, Naruto would never pass up a chance to brag. Besides, Kakashi, as a high level ninja, was an expert at reading people - Naruto was honest, he'd bet his hitai-ate on it.

'But... this doesn't add up.' The jounin frowned. 'This kind of skill... Sure, it isn't exactly as precise as it should be... Not that I know a lot about wire combat to begin with, but...'

It was just bizarre. The boy was far too comfortable with the wires. It wasn't a piece of steel one could simple swing and be done with it - it was a dangerous, precise and exotic weapon. So exotic, it was nowadays almost unseen - and before only Kumo had more than a handful of experts with it. For a clumsy genin to just pick it up and swing around...'

Kakashi frowned.

'...Or _could_ he?'

Sure, the sheer idea was ridiculous, but... But so was an idea of a six year old genin.

Kakashi's calculating gaze turned on Naruto.

'Come to think of it, his swings were wild, more than slightly uncoordinated... It would fit. Could it be? Could he be simply that much of a natural in it...? Preposterous, yes but... Not exactly impossible. Not completely.'

The jounin nodded slowly.

"I see..."

He was going to have to look up some data on it. If Naruto was as self trained as he claimed, then he'd need every bit of help he could give him.

'This changes things a lot. What can I...?' He looked at Naruto speculatively. 'More control, that's for sure. Speed, a must. But that we can work on. Still, wires as good as they are, wasting his ninjutsu potential would be-' Kakashi halted. 'Hmm. This might work.'

"Naruto, there is a jutsu I'd like to teach you."

"A jutsu?" The blond's eyes lit up. "Is it cool?"

With two seals, a violent spark of lightning jumped between Kakashi's outstretched palms.

"You might say that." Kakashi said mildly.

* * *

"I see you are finished with the basics."

Sakura frowned, looking at one of the more advanced diagrams.

"Yes. Though I have to admit that this... 'weave' thing escapes me."

"Ah. That." Kakashi nodded. "It comes with channeling. We will cover that later, when your chakra expands. For now, we are going to go with standard enhancement and plain combat skill." Kakashi reached into his vest, withdrawing a small scroll. "Though, in some respects, that is much harder." The copycat remarked and Sakura blinked as the scroll was smeared in blood, growing to twice its previous size, before erupting in smoke, leaving behind a simple scabbard.

"My old ANBU blade." Kakashi explained. "It is a low-grade, but still quite sufficient for our needs as a chakra blade."

"...our needs?" Sakura blinked. "Um... Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh, well, you can't be expected to improve without some actual practice against a live opponent, now can you?" The jounin said cheerfully.

Sakura blanched, but kept silent.

"Before we come to the exercises themselves, I want to you to keep a few things in mind. Those aren't just exercises. The primer, of sorts, that you have now is derived from ANBU drills." Kakashi looked at her seriously. "This is an actual combat skill, Sakura. Assassination one, in many respects. As such, you can't relax. Every time you do it - it must be done _right_."

The pink haired girl nodded slowly.

"The things I will teach you... They aren't swordsmanship. Not really. You will get some of that later on, when the basics are in place, but first I will teach you how to use the Fang. Can you see the difference in that?"

Sakura frowned.

"I don't know..."

"You are a ninja, Sakura. While the White Fang is to be your advantage, you must learn how to use any possibility, any edge, any weapon that you have in your arsenal." Kakashi explained patiently. "Never assume there will be an ideal situation to use your strongest advantage. Better yet - never rely on just one 'strongest advantage'."

"Ah." Sakura nodded.

"ANBU sword drills are something you can learn quickly. They are utilitarian to the extreme - no frills, no special techniques. Just pure effectiveness, a limited set of moves distilled to be as efficient as possible." Kakashi tapped the blade. "Time for proper swordsmanship will come later on. For now, you will need to learn how to handle the Fang." He looked at Sakura. "Do you know why I had you keep the Fang on your person at all times and use chakra to anchor it to your back whenever possible?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it was a part of chakra exercise, right?"

"Partially, yes. Good thinking." Kakashi nodded. "Constant contact with the blade makes you used to it - imprints your chakra over it, makes it an extension of you and channeling chakra into it as natural as breathing. Also, it is a good exercise for expanding your chakra reserves." He shook his head. "It is a bit of an overkill, but with the current amount of chakra you have, using the Fang as it should be used would be costly. You still need more stamina, but nothing some diligent practice won't fix."

The jounin drew his sword out of the scabbard.

"Anyway, here are several beginner tips on dealing with a sword..."

Sakura opened her eyes lazily, hearing the familiar crack of lightning.

"...Oi... Naruto..." She muttered tiredly. "Cut it out... please?"

The blond looked up from his sparking wires, blinking.

"Hey, I gotta master it, you know?" Another spark circulated through wires. "And it is _so_ cool!"

"It was cool... an hour or so ago." Sakura looked up at the cloudless night sky. "Just give it a rest."

The blond frowned, looking at Haku.

The kunoichi's face was impassive, but she nodded slightly.

"...Eh, whatever." He snapped the wires back, letting the charge die out.

"Thanks." Sakura closed her eyes, letting the chakra blade relax in her hand. The glow, one that she had been keeping up dimmed slightly.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" Naruto scratched his head. "This should be glowing like that?"

"Kakashi-sensei said it is getting used to me." Sakura raised her hand, marveling at the glowing blade. It was almost weightless, ethereal in her hand. "To my chakra. It siphons it slightly at all times."

"Won't that make you tired?"

"It is just a small amount. I'm not that exhausted." She sat up gingerly, her stiff hands putting the Fang in the scabbard. "Just sore." The girl sighed, stretching. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto smirked pointing to the side.

Sakura turned her head, only to blink owlishly.

Sasuke was half sitting, half lying on the stone nearby, his shirt ripped, the arm bracer things long gone. There were countless scratches and cuts on his arms. His face wasn't just nicked - it looked mauled, the left side of his lip swollen, trailing blood over dried and fresh scrapes.

"Oi, bastard..." Naruto nudged the fallen Uchiha. "You dead yet?"

Sasuke raised his head slightly, letting out a wordless growl, before sighing and letting it fall.

"Oh my." Sakura summed up. "You all right, Sasuke-kun?"

A tired glare was her only answer.

"Heh heh. Kakashi-sensei's clones worked him over."

"Kakashi-san was certainly... strict." Haku nodded.

"Yep. Beat him like a drum." Naruto said cheerfully.

"...shut up..." Sasuke muttered, hefting himself up.

Naruto just chuckled, getting up and stretching.

"Oi, Haku... Up for a round?"

"Aren't you tired, Naruto-sama?" The kunoichi blinked.

"Nah. Kakashi-sensei had me go through that Raiton stuff."

"Oh. Then if you wish to, Naruto-sama." Haku pulled a long, thin scroll and unrolled it gracefully.

"...Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" The blond muttered, flexing his gloved hands.

"Sorry, Naruto-sama." Haku smiled faintly

"...Stubborn woman." The blond scowled, snapping his hand to the side lazily.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the silvery glint.

"Ohh. Fast." She muttered curiously.

"Yep." Naruto nodded cheerfully.

"...Damn it is criminal." The pin haired girl groused with envy.

Naruto blinked.

"You being so... perky." She glared. "You've been snapping jutsu for hours. Aren't you tired at all, you freak of nature?"

"I'm just awesome!" The blond cackled.

"...Sure you are." Sasuke muttered. "At frying yourself, maybe." He pointed at the sleeves of the blond's jacket, now burned and frayed by repeated use of the Raiton jutsu gone awry.

Naruto glared at the Uchiha.

"At least I'm still standing, bastard!"

Sasuke snorted, letting his back rest on the stone. _Damn_ but he was tired... He'd be hobbling home. Crawling, even.

For a moment, he seriously considered simply letting his eyelids fall, until his stomach growled.

'...Perfect.' The raven haired genin grimaced hearing Sakura's giggle. 'Just perfect.'

Sakura covered her mouth, trying to stifle the giggle, before giving up as she saw the indignant glare. She let herself fall on the grass.

"And what's so funny?" Sasuke growled darkly.

"...It... It... isn't... at all...!" The young kunoichi got out between the giggles before giving up and laughing openly.

With a loud hiss, Haku's scroll erupted with smoke. The kunoichi drew the oversized zanbatou deftly and Sakura watched with envy as the woman moved the sword with ease despite its weight.

"Ready, Naruto-sama?"

"...I told you to... Ah, whatever." The blond snapped his hands to the sides, wires moving out like hungry snakes. "Let's get it on!"

"As you wish." A single...

...step.

The Kubikiri Houchou whined, sparks flying as the edge met the steel cords.

Naruto grinned.

"Heh. This won't work on me!" He said gleefully, tightening his wires around the weapon. "I'm faster now!"

"So I can see." One of Haku's hands let go of the hilt, making a familiar seal and Naruto's eyes widened as the ice needles formed around him.

"...SHIT!"

He hastily let the wires go, jumping back. He winced as one of the needles cut a gash on his arm despite the evasion.

'...DAMN but she's fast! Even not going full out... That speed is no joke.'

He slid away from the zanbatou's edge, snapping the wires back before letting them go up.

'Flow... flow... NOW!'

Haku broke off her attack as she saw the strings snap down, leaving gouges on the ground.

'More power... he adds chakra to it. So much and constantly. It is not even a jutsu, just plain power.' She marveled. 'Kakashi-san is right. His chakra capacity is something else.' Her eyes narrowed. 'But still... so wasteful.'

She added her weight to the blade, spinning around her axis as she allowed the ice to form around the edge.

Naruto cursed as the shards broke off, flying at him far faster than her senbon did.

"...OI OI OI!" He yelped evading the first wave. "...What are you-"

Haku smiled faintly, slashing the blade down.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"...OOOOH SHII-!" he panicked, desperately trying to move, knowing it was too late to evade, to move to-

The wires snapped.

A loud crack erupted form the ends, lighting up with bluish power as the strings... hissed.

'...What... But I...' The lightning arced between the strings. 'How... I... I... I can-!'

Haku stared with astonishment as the wires crossed and erupted with raw power, the ice meeting the lightning array head on and... vaporising.

Sakura's eyes widened. She saw Naruto practicing that jutsu, but this...!

The lightning spiked, vapor exploded around the wires as Naruto charged, electricity kissing and burning the ground, filling the air with the smell of ozone.

The cerulean eyes were focused, sparking as they reflected the lighting and Haku backpedaled furiously as the Raiton's fury descended at her.

'This is... This feeling!' She ducked. 'It is the same! No malice but.. It is the same like there on the bridge! There is no mistaking it!'

"Running?"

Her eyes widened as she saw Naruto's face right in front of hers.

She slashed the Kubikiri Houchou, desperately trying for the distance, only to have the wires tied all around it. The kunoichi hissed, letting go of the hilt, but still managing to receive a nasty shock as the low-level Raiton arced through the weapon.

Haku bit her lip.

'I knew he wanted to spar seriously but...!'

"Oi... that is all?" The wires moved around the blond like living things, as if on their own. The fact that Naruto's hands were barely moving just made the impression stronger. "Is that it? All you have? Come on." Several wires spun around him in a circle, as if protecting him. Naruto didn't seem to pay attention at all, even as the lighting sparked at the ends. "Summon your mirrors... form your senbon... Attack. Come on. COME ON!"

"...Naruto...! This is going too far...!" Sakura stood up. "Enough!"

"... As you wish." Haku bowed her head, forming the seals and the air cooled. "Makyo Hyosho."

Sasuke frowned, hefting himself up.

"...What is that idiot doing...?"

"Naruto, you idiot! You can't...!" Sakura screamed.

The lightning erupted, wires lighting up and Sakura paled as she saw the odd, almost detached look on Naruto's face.

"...This is..." She muttered, lips numb.

The cool blue eyes reflected the flash of lighting as Naruto took a step...

And snapped into a run, charging at the mirrors, wires swinging.

"...This is... Kakashi-sensei's...!"

"No." Her head snapped to Sasuke who was looking at the scene dumbly. "No but... Power... so much power... How in the world...?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as the mirrors absorbed the shock.

He evaded nimbly, sliding back, not even noticing the chakra he channeled to his legs.

'...Why... why am I...?'

"Naruto-sama... Here I go!"

The Makyo Hyosho spun, drinking in the moonlight greedily.

Naruto spun, trying to divine Haku's position.

'...Fast. So damn fast! Why am I...?'

'Our existence is as mutable and incorporeal as is the morning dew or a flash of lightning...'

Naruto's eyes widened.

Haku charged, ice senbon in her hands.

"Not yet, Naruto-sama but..." She froze as she felt the wires tightening around her hands.

She looked at the blond, who was looking at her but... his eyes were unfocused, as if staring through her. As if he didn't see her at all.

"Nyoronyoden."

Haku blinked.

The wires let her go and Naruto blinked, his eyes regaining focus.

"...Huh?"

Haku rubbed her wrists, looking at her master warily.

"...Naruto-sama?"

"Oh. OH." His eyes widening as he took in the damages, Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry... I... Uh, Kind of had fun."

"...Naruto you IDIOT!" White Fang's scabbard sent the blond sprawling. "What the HELL were you thinking?! WERE you even thinking at all?!"

"...Sorry Sakura-chan." The genin muttered, rubbing his head absently. "Sorry. I just..."

"Goddamit, you lost it or something? Using that kind of force while sparring... Are you a total moron?!"

"Sorry... Sorry." Naruto said his eyes downcast and Sakura sighed, looking at the pitiful, slumped posture.

'...And how am I to shout at him now?' She thought with irritation. 'It would be like kicking a puppy... Geeez!'

"Watch it next time, you idiot. You scared me half to death!" Sakura grumbled, putting the scabbard on her back, sticking it there with a regulated chakra spike that was as natural as breathing by now and walking away. "See you tomorrow. I need to crash or I'll fall down here or something."

"Dobe. You don't know restraint at all." Sasuke snorted, turning away and hobbling out of the training field.

"Fuck you too, bastard." The blond grumbled, standing up and looking at Haku. "You okay? I didn't...?" He cringed.

"No. No, not even burns." She showed her palms to him, letting the mirrors dissipate. "Still, Naruto-sama...? That thing you said..."

"...I... don't know." Naruto admitted after a long moment of silence. "I... it is the second time." He said softly. "There, on the bridge... But I don't know why. They just..." He shrugged helplessly.

"Nyoronyoden... This is not a jutsu." Haku muttered thoughtfully. "It... I have heard it somewhere before, I think but..." She frowned.

Naruto looked at his gloved hands thoughtfully.

"I... ever since I got those... I see that sometimes in my mind. Every time I..." he grimaced. "ARRGH! I can't GET it... at all!"

Haku raised Kubikiri Houchou, inspecting it for damages. Of course, the blade was as pristine as always. It was made to withstand far more than a Raiton jutsu, after all. Mist smiths who made it made sure of that.

She sealed the blade deftly, pocketing the scroll.

"Hmm. I wonder..." She said thoughtfully. "It is not unfamiliar to me, but... Hmm... Maybe some scholar would know...?"

"A scholar?" Naruto perked up. "Hey, I know somebody who might help!"

* * *

Iruka blinked.

"Where did you hear it?" He looked at Naruto with surprise.

"I didn't. I just..." He shrugged. "So, do you know it, Iruka-sensei?"

"...Nyoronyoden... Yes. I have heard that phrase before." Iruka frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I am sure of it... But where...?" He walked in his house. "Come on in, Naruto. Don't stand in the doorway." He waved absently.

The genin nodded, walking in and Iruka frowned, looking at the young woman who followed the blond.

"You are Haku, right?" He said, looking at her carefully.

"Yes." The kunoichi nodded, holding Iruka's gaze emotionlessly.

"Ah." The teacher nodded slowly. "If you are with Naruto, then you're welcome, Haku-san."

"Thank you, Iruka-san. Naruto-sama told me a lot about you." She smiled.

"Did he, now?" The chuunin quirked an eyebrow.

Naruto shifted uneasily, looking form his brother figure to his... well, friend?

"Well, sit, sit." He waved at his room. "You look hungry." He frowned, before point at the kitchen. "There should be some cup ramen in the cupboard, Naruto."

"Awesome, Iruka-sensei!" The blond all but skipped towards the kitchen.

"I am not your teacher anymore, Naruto." The chuunin sighed, before waving it away. Naruto was Naruto was Naruto.

Iruka waited for a moment, hearing the cupboard opening and turned to Haku.

"So." He looked at the woman carefully. "You are the kunoichi I heard from Sandaime-sama about. The one that Naruto brought from Wave."

Haku nodded simply.

"You followed Kirigakure's nukenin, Momochi Zabuza." Iruka's eyes hardened. "An assassin and apprentice to an assassin."

Haku nodded again.

"Why are you here?" Iruka asked sharply.

"Following Nauro-sama, of course." She said calmly.

"An apprentice to a notorious nukenin, a strong woman of bloodline... An accomplice of a notorious shinobi following a single Konoha genin?" Iruka cocked an eyebrow mockingly. "Why?"

"Because now, I am Naruto-sama's weapon."

Iruka's eyes widened.

"For Naruto-sama's dream... I will follow my master until the day I die." Haku held Iruka's gaze, her eyes open and calm like a frozen lake.

Iruka stared dumbly.

"...You are... serious." He said with disbelief.

Haku's gaze didn't waver for a second as she looked at the chuunin.

"You are really... serious. My gods..." Iruka sat on the nearest chair heavily. "This is... have you any _idea_...?"

"Is there a problem?" Haku cocked her head to the side and Iruka felt a chill crawling down his spine.

Iruka was a good judge of character - very good. Ibiki frequently dropped hints that the young chuunin should ditch the academy job and move up to work in the interrogation squads. Iruka didn't want to do that - it was far too grisly a job for his peace of mind, but the fact still remained, he was good at picking up subtler things.

While the tone was calm and question innocent, there was something... coldly ruthless in the calm onyx eyes. Something that left him without a doubt that the young kunoichi in front of him wouldn't hesitate in removing anything she deemed a 'problem' to the blond.

'God... My god...' Iruka thought dumbly, looking at the beautiful girl sitting in front of him with calm and unperturbed face. 'Naruto, you idiot... Have you any idea _what she is?_ Have you _any_ idea just what kind of a lit explosive note you have in your hands...?'

He had inquired, of course. Naruto, out of his supervision or not, was somebody he cared for greatly. A surrogate brother he never had - almost family. When he heard about the kunoichi, he was curious and wary. When he heard she was living with the blond... It took Sandaime-sama's urging to avoid Iruka charging to Naruto's house and scream his lungs out at the little idiot. The more he dug, however, the warier he became. An apprentice to a former Mist Seven member, one with such a reputation like Zabuza and such a... fanatical bent? He halfway expected her to kill Naruto and rest of Team 7 in retaliation for her mentor's death. But then ANBU let her go. Let her go, under Naruto's - NARUTO'S! - supervision. And now...'

'What is Sandaime-sama THINKING?! This is a disaster! This whole situation... it is just ridiculous!'

Still, it wasn't like he could do anything. Sandaime-sama made his decision and Naruto was as muleheaded as always. Trying to sway him from his new 'friend' would be utterly useless, Iruka knew.

'And probably dangerous.' He thought wryly, looking at Haku.

"No, Haku-san. As long as Naruto is okay with it, there is no problem." Iruka forced a smile on his face, before getting up and turning to his small library.

"Nyoronyoden... Nyoronyoden... Hmm... Where did I...?" He rubbed his scar, looking at the shelves thoughtfully. "I am sure I read about it... Hmm... Where could it...?"

He stood in front of the shelves for along moment, before snapping his fingers.

"Ah, right!" He reached into the lower shelf, taking out a fatigued, old looking scroll. "If I am not mistaken and memory serves it should be..." He scanned the scroll for a long while, mumbling to himself.

Naruto walked in, two of his Kage Bunshin following with large bowls of ramen.

"Here you go, Haku." He grinned, putting one front of the kunoichi who nodded graciously and smiling.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, the ramen's getting cold!"

"Yes... yes..." The chuunin muttered, still engrossed in his scroll. "Nyoronyoden... Where c- Yes! I knew it was here." Iruka nodded, obviously pleased, before blinking. "...That can't be right..." He muttered curiously, before looking at Naruto.

"You know... You stumble upon the strangest things." The chuunin said, putting away the scroll.

"So, you know what it is?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Haku-san is right, Nyoronyoden isn't a jutsu of any kind." Iruka sighed. "In fact, it is so loosely affiliated with ninja at all, I really wonder how in the world have you heard of it."

"So, so? What is it?" Naruto fidgeted in his seat, ramen - amazingly - forgotten.

"It came form an archaic philosophical text, a philosophical motto... Or it was once, rather." Iruka frowned. "It was said it described the chaos and change that always accompanied shinobi life. Or life in general. 'Our existence is as mutable-

" -and incorporeal as is the morning dew or a flash of lightning'..." Naruto muttered, finishing the sentence, eyes glazed.

"Yes." Iruka blinked with surprise. "That's the exact wording. Though how and why would you, of all people, know it..." He shrugged. "I am really curious where could you hear it. It is fairly old."

"...I don't know." Naruto admitted. "I... When I fought with Haku on the bridge... I..." Naruto shook his head. "I dunno, Iruka-sensei."

"Well, I guess you might have heard it from some older nin... It isn't exactly well known, but it _is_ a shinobi philosophy. Not a wide spread one, but..." The chuunin rubbed his scar thoughtfully. "Interesting."

"...Yeah." Naruto muttered, looking into his ramen, eyes unfocused, glazed "Yeah... It is."

Iruka frowned.

"Naruto... are you all right?" He asked finally.

The blond blinked, before shaking his head and looking at Iruka.

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked with puzzlement.

Iruka looked at him skeptically.

"You know you can always talk to me, right?" He said finally.

"Sure, Iruka-sensei. But why are you so serious?"

Iruka sighed.

"Nothing Naruto. Nothing at all. Let's eat, eh?" He grinned. "Before ramen gets all cold and soggy."

Naruto's eyes widened and he gabbed his bowl, tearing into the noodles with wild abandon that was pure Naruto.

'...Well at least that didn't change.' Iruka chuckled, grabbing his own bowl and trying to wash the odd feeling of unease welling inside him with the hot, flavorful broth.

* * *

Naruto stared at his palms.

A tug.

Another.

Thumb sliding under the reinforced material, melted with mesh and a plate and...

And his fingers slid the claps back again.

'...this is ridiculous.'

He flexed his palms, letting the gloves fit tighter. Better. Used to folds, used to skin and vice versa. It was something he didn't think about, not really. Not until he noticed that fastening the gloves so that they didn't slide that little distance that cost precision was harder than it looked. That pooling back the wire, or snapping it out as one while opening the rings was... not difficult - but harder when he paid attention to it.

Again. Like in Wave.

He flexed his palms again.

The gloves... fit. There was no other way to describe it. Just... fit. It was like... like he liked ramen, but didn't know he liked it until he tasted it. Like that. He never thought about 'missing' it. It wasn't like... 'it'. Like that painful need. No, it wasn't like that at all. But it was more like finding a shirt in the dark, pulling it on and noticing it was that cool, comfortable shirt that fit because your body made every crease, molded every press that formed even after washing and ironing it out.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

'My head hurts just _thinking_ about it.'

He let himself slump, sliding down slightly as he went from sitting to laying on the roof, looking straight up at the moon.

'You old traitor...' The genin grasped at the air, his hand encircling the visage... before clenching into fist. 'Bang.'

He chuckled weakly, letting his hand fall.

Clear night sky really was the best.

'Dammit... what am I doing?'

"Naruto-sama...?"

The blond sighed.

"How many times did I... Oh damn whatever." He mumbled, using one of his wires to grab the edge of the roof and jump down.

Haku blinked.

'That was fast.' She thought with surprise. 'Though not having to worry about the fall.. I guess he can do that kind of thing.'

"What is it?"

"It is not my place to pry but..." Haku looked at him carefully. "Are you feeling... well?"

"Yeah I..." Naruto started, before slumping. "Yes. No. I don't know." He admitted finally, rubbing his gloved palm. "Remember there, in the forest?"

Haku nodded slowly. How could she forget?

"It is like... that." His lips twitched, halfway between smile and a scowl. "Things are just... _weird_."

"You don't sleep well, do you?" she asked softly. "I can... hear you. When you wake."

"Oh. Sorry." Naruto rubbed his temples. "Can't sleep... It is not that. It is more like... Like..." he struggled. "Know how it is when you wake up, having a dream that you want to remember? But the more you grasp at it... the more it escapes? I..." He closed his eyes, leaning on the cool wall. "Shit... I don't know... It is just too weird." He murmured. "Why can't it just be easy?"

Those eyes... they haunted him. Every time he woke up, the dream escaped, the meaning lost - but the honey gold... It haunted even his waking hours. And he couldn't get angry at it. At her. Not when he felt warm just seeing the flash of those eyes in his dreams...

"I don't even know her _name_..."He muttered,his voice bereft of the usual vibrancy.

"Then you will just have to keep trying, won't you, Naruto-sama?" Haku cocked her head to the side. "Keeping on going forward."

She didn't exactly understand what he meant - but then she was a tool. She would try, for the sake of his dream, to understand as much as she could to help him.

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled.

Haku smiled softly.

"Please, come inside Naruto-sama. Kakashi-san was right - you need to rest more."

"Eh. Not like today was all that tiresome."

"Still, you have used a lot of chakra." Haku cautioned. "And it is better to be prepared for tomorrow, is it not?"

"Huh. I guess so." Naruto sighed, relaxing slightly, tugging at his gloves for a second before gritting his teeth, peeling them off and putting them in his pockets.

"So there." He muttered.

The kunoichi just quirked an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Naruto shrugged. "Come on, let's eat supper."

He was _not_ going to be sleeping with a pair of combat gloves on, goddamit!

Not again, anyway.

* * *

TBC...

* * *

Glossary:

Yotsuba - lit. 'four leaf clover'.

Nyoronyoden - a fairly obscure japanese term meaning 'existence as we perceive it/life is as mutable and incorporeal as is the morning dew or a flash of lightning.' Fitting for a shinobi Motto - ironic in terms of what and who Naruto is and his situation overall.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Chapter 6

Edited by Skelethin and Ceyx0991

* * *

"Crosswire."

* * *

Step to the side. Move.

Just a little. Let the blade do the talking.

The white blaze let loose as Sakura blocked Kakashi's swing.

"Good, but it is better to avoid, Sakura." The jounin said calmly. "Less jagged movement, more precision. Again."

Again.

Again.

Again.

The pink haired girl's world was turned into that. Again. Faster. Again. Faster.

Like a mantra, running on and on and on.

A day, a week, a month... Who knew? She was lost in that. One swing after another, one punch after another, one exercise after another. Kakashi was true to his word - no mercy. If she had deluded herself that the 'proper' training would involve technique alone, she had stopped after the first day of it wasn't even done.

Kakashi pushed them to learn, to acclimate themselves to the things he taught... and then pushed again. The very moment they thought they HAD it, the grey haired scarecrow introduced another level. Then another. Moving, breathing, proper handling of more than one kunai at the time. Blocking versus dodging, why and when not to. How to move to conserve energy in the middle of combat. How to fight when the enemy was faster, how to fight when enemy was stronger, or had more jutsu, or used illusions, or weapons...

"Between two ninja, the battles can grow truly bizarre. I have been on missions where I fought with a single opponent for hours. Not constantly, no. But that's what it takes. Nin in ninja is for enduring, Sakura."

Endure.

Hell yeah, she endured.

They all did.

She could hear the whine of Katon as Sasuke recklessly let go some of his painfully conserved chakra to char one of the Yotsuba Kage Bunshin. He still did that sometimes and Sakura knew they would be dragging the Uchiha to the Ichiraku tonight.

Dammit.

'...Sasuke-kun... I think I'll let you fall into that bowl after you doze off this time.'

She wasn't a fan of ramen. Well, next to Naruto no one was good enough to be called a 'fan', but she liked it well enough. How nice. It was the only place close enough to their training ground to actually EAT something hot. So there were carbohydrates, calories and... stuff.

Well, not something she needed to worry about.

Diet? Screw diet. She was fucking hungry.

"Again."

A sharp spike of hot feeling - too tame to be called pain, too uncomfortable to be called anything else welled in Sakura's elbow, traveling down to her wrist.

Sweat didn't so much as manage to cool and her shirt was soaked with her sweat now.

She didn't care what mom thought - next time, she'd go with that tight tank top, come hell or high water!

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Up and down. Side and...

Oh.

That... kind of didn't hurt.

Or maybe he was to numb too feel it? Sasuke didn't exactly know anymore. It was all about... movement. No, wait. That was a lie.

It was about moving as little as possible. For example, not moving from that nice, soft patch of grass he was-

Sasuke grunted, rolling from a lazy stomp.

"Now now, Sasuke. Using that Goukkyaku was most unwise," said a smiling Kakashi Kage Bunshin. Sasuke knew it (he?) was smiling. After all those weeks he could probably compile a dictionary of smug tones of Hatake Kakashi. Had he the time, that is.

At first, it seemed simple enough. Hit the clone, disperse the clone. Master the exercise, maybe even copy a jutsu or two clones were using.

Useless.

Kakashi, owner of the sharingan himself, knew every trick, every little aid, every odd quirk. Knew and ruthlessly used them against Sasuke. So Sasuke did what he thought he'd never do - he mustered some patience and hit the books. There HAD to be something that goddamn pervert didn't KNOW.

As it was, there were such things. Kakashi even thanked him for them. And then moved his training notch up. A small advice here, a jutsu there - not much. A handful. His sharingan would have copied them in an instant. But Kakashi was adamant. Scrolls - scrolls and practice. Jutsu, step by step, like some no-talent commoner and clones watching for even a glimmer of sharingan outside of Yotsuba exercise. He tried it, once. Kakashi said nothing - Yotsuba clones stopped holding back.

So Sasuke, like he did in the academy, hit the books again. Or scrolls, as it was. Only now it wasn't the laughably simple Kawarimi or some no-brainer bunshin. C-class, even some B-class. All not exactly big but... complicated. Layered. Control, refinement... And Kakashi pushed. Pushed until Sasuke couldn't continue... and then he got him to read. To memorize, to engrave in his mind, burn it into his muscles, beat into his instincts until he didn't' need to think and just did.

Not solo, no. They all trained, they had thir routines, but they were to be a team. So Kakashi treated them like one. Three hours, every day, on the training field. Running, sitting, reading, listening - together.

"Shared strength, Sasuke - that's what team is all about."

And then, Kakashi was _there_. Calm. Precise. So. Fucking. Annoyingly. Skilled.

It was like bells, all over again. Only this time, there were no bells. Just Kakashi and a 'mission'.

'Hit this.'

'Find me.'

'Track me.'

Again. And again. And again.

Tedious. Annoying.

It was then that Sasuke really had grown to appreciate Naruto's inhuman stamina. The blond was just impossible to put down. Not as skilled as Sasuke, not as smart as Sakura - but his sheer ability to withstand punishment and remain standing - fatigue or not, was nothing short of miraculous. Some of the jutsu Naruto learned, Sasuke did as well - those lightning ones weren't exactly his cup of tea, but jutsu was a jutsu, after all. He was already dead tired, what did he have to lose, right?

They weren't big - like his, it was all C-class, with a precious one B-class jutsu that was just plain useless in Sasuke's opinion, since keeping the electric current up for long enough to be useful was a bitch of a drain on chakra. Too much of a price to pay for a pure melee jutsu. Pure melee... unless someone had enough chakra and combat wire, as well as some skill.

It was an eye opener to see Naruto frying a tree into crisp with a jutsu that Sasuke deemed 'useless' and then snapping back the wires and doing it again. Just. Like. That.

Sure, he always knew the dead last was hard to put down but this was just.. ridiculous. Where did he get so much power, how did he become so strong... He didn't know. But if that dead-last moron thought he was better than him, he was dead wrong.

Sasuke didn't even grit his teeth as he relaxed into a slight slouch, eying the clones warily.

"Not rushing into that, hmm?"

The Uchiha scowled, letting a kunai fly at the patch of earth between them. The explosive tag sizzled as the ground exploded, the tell-tale smoke of Kage Bunshin exploding from the small hole.

"Ah. Yes, Shinju Zanshu can be useful." The bunshin nodded. "Though you just dispelled a clone without hitting it in the right way. Now, I believe a penalty is in order."

Sasuke didn't even bother to curse as as several clones, previously dormant and waiting their turn circled him, seemingly out of nowhere.

The twin coma of sharingan wheels spun faster as Sasuke drew another kunai.

* * *

Wires could sing.

Naruto found that out easily enough. They moved through the air, they cut it and howled. But they sung as well. He could hear it. A song, he would swear it. Every damn note, he could hear it all.

Snap the hand back, the tone's pitch heightens. Move the wrist, another change. Lower and higher and lower again. Like one of those soft melodies hummed by Haku every morning. She did it once - Naruto doubted she even knew she did it. She didn't, when he asked her. It was his one request, after that. To keep those songs. They weren't familiar in the least, but they were soothing.

So Haku smiled. Haku allowed herself to smile and hum the wordless song.

But wires... wires weren't soft.

His hand swept to the side as he slid down the rock, twisting and giving the precious momentum to his next jump.

Wasteful, Kakashi-sensei called him. Hell, Iruka-sensei said the same. He could kinda see it - not that he'd admit it, of course. So Kakashi-sensei looked on, gave the jutsu, made him practice. And when he didn't practice those...

He was running.

Or rather jumping, sliding, twisting...

Wires sang as they wrapped around the target.

The small log whined in protest as the metal squeezed before bluish spark charred it.

Running. Running and practicing.

"You have plenty of power, Naruto. But all the power in the world won't save you if you can't use it right. You have power - use it. Overwhelm. Wires are good for that, they allow a great ability to strike from every angle with surprising speed. That is good - but you lack the speed itself."

So he was moving.

The blond felt like laughing out loud, before the rock under him exploded and the genin had to use every bit of his hard-won speed to escape the calamity.

If that tell-tale hiss of an explosive tag didn't warn him...

Sure, they were low yield, but explosive tags were explosive tags.

Still...

The blond grinned as wires coiled around the rock and he swung, twisting in the air just enough to snatch another log as the ends of the wires gouged two long scars into it.

Only two, but enough.

"The right tool for the job, Naruto. For shinobi, being able to do complicated things is good, but often simple and less flashy is best."

The lighting spiked and Naruto grinned.

So okay, maybe he wasn't very good with that 'less flashy' thing.

* * *

Ramen was tasty. It wasn't exactly food of the elite, but it wasn't bad. It was warm, filling and, overall, cheap.

"Two beefs!"

"One deluxe large pork, with double onion."

"Shrimp. Triple."

"Shrimp again?" Teuchi raised an eyebrow. "My, aren't you a faithful regular."

Sasuke didn't even bother to shrug. It wasn't that he liked shrimp so much more - though he did like it quite a bit. The secret was, shrimp didn't need half as much chewing while being more filling than the 'full vegetarian' one.

"So, the usual line up, I see." The older man said to his best customer.

"Yeah. Training's a tiresome job, old man!"

Sasuke grunted, not beothering to say anything as he tore into his ramen.

"I don't see Haku with you, Naruto. Something happened?" Teuchi looked at the blond.

"Nah. Haku's at the Tower. Old Man asked her for something, dunno what."

"Ah." The cook nodded with understanding. He was already filled in on the situation by Naruto. Amazingly, this time it was something he had to actually pry from the blond. But then, seeing odd looks Umino Iruka threw the well mannered, beautiful girl that followed Naruto around, Teuchi just couldn't let it go. Not when Iruka looked as wary as he did. "So, I guess you didn't have lunch today either, eh?"

Naruto's growling stomach was only answer and the cook chuckled as Ayame smiled, serving the bowls to the trio who tore into them with abandon.

For one looking from the side, it might look like Team 7 was a bunch of ramen-obsessed fanatics. In fact, it had one zealot, and two mere devotees. Ramen was quick. Ramen was cheap. Ichiraku ramen stand was the closest place Team 7 could grab a bite to eat, all day long and a nice bit of the night.

The fact that Team 7 had nothing against ramen in general, and that there were plenty of varieties overall meant that three genin were regulars by now. A hearty eating group of regulars. For that, Teuchi could overlook some of the more... colorful episodes.

"Oi, bastard. Don't waste good ramen this time, eh?"

Sasuke grunted, throwing the blond a baleful stare but saying nothing.

Honestly, he fell asleep on that bowl _one_ time and Naruto just wouldn't let it go. The dead last gave him a fucking half hour, impassioned lecture on the sin of wasting ramen, for kami's sake!

'Goddamn ramen zealot...'

Though he had to admit, by the second bowl, the world looked mellow, his body felt sluggish and warm from the hot meal as he cooled down from training. He didn't know if it was ramen, training or both, but it was the first time he had a week sleeping like a log. No nightmares, no waking up in a middle of the night with that goddamn Mangekyo...

If that's what it took, he'd eat Ramen every day. Hell, he could afford it.

"Oi, bastard. Ramen's getting cold." The blond scowled.

Sasuke grunted, getting back to eating. Trust Naruto to be observant when it came to ramen.

Though he was right - it was getting cold.

Banishing anything else for his mind, Uchiha Sasuke concentrated to laying waste to the bowl of ramen.

* * *

"I must say, Zabuza trained you well." Sarutobi muttered thoughtfully, leafing through the papers slowly. "You have certain holes in your skill set, but it is to be expected. Your skills would probably manage to earn you tokubetsu jounin rating... well, barely." The old man sighed. "But considering your... predicament, this is impossible, as you well know."

Haku, eyes and face calm if politely expressionless, nodded from her chair.

"As such, within reach of probationary status, you will be given rank of chuunin, dependant on your future behavior, a possibility of advancement in rank might be possible.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Don't thank me yet, young lady." Sarutobi waved his hand. "That is merely a half of the matter. "

The girl blinked.

"Excuse me?" She asked with puzzlement.

"Haku-san, you were an accomplice of a nukenin that a major village wanted dead and buried by any means necessary. You are not a nukenin, lacking any real station as far as Kiri military is concerned, but you are, technically, an outlaw considering your bloodlimit status." The old man said calmly. "Adding to the fact you were Momochi Zabuza's student and accomplice, Mist would not simply tolerate your presence."

Haku paled slightly as the old shinobi made his point clear.

"They will hunt me..." She whispered, eyes widening in alarm "Naruto-sama, he will-!"

"Don't worry." Sarutobi raised his hand placatingly, trying to avoid the brief satisfaction as he heard the girl's words. He wasn't exactly comfortable using her like that but... He owed too much to Naruto to let an untested danger near the boy. "This matter had been taking care of."

Haku frowned.

"I don't think I understand." She admitted.

"You are aware, of course, that Konoha covets blood limits?"

Haku nodded.

"It adds to Konohagakure's military power considerably. Zabuza-sama told me that." She murmured.

"Yes. Though not exactly." Sarutobi admitted. "Konoha had been founded partially with blood limit clans already in place, as such there are certain privileges, deals and customs for the them, tightly interwoven with the existence of this village." He leaned back with a sigh. "Which brings us to a little snag in your situation."

"A 'snag'?" Haku said with puzzlement.

Hokage chuckled mirthlessly.

"Young lady, you are a scion of an extinct clan with a powerful blood limit. A scion who is now a Konoha citizen. A member of this village, however recent." Hokage looked at the young woman seriously.

"I just follow Naruto-sama... I was not even born here. How does that concern me?"

"Oh plenty, let me assure you." The old man sighed tiredly. "Part of the... deal made upon Konoha's founding was privileges for the clans - partial autonomy in regards to clan politics, protected status of family techniques... Many things. In return, however, the Clans are bound to Konoha, bound to see it prosper, to support it in any way they can. However they can, adding their strength to Konoha's strength, be it military, political... or any other." He looked at the teenaged beauty pointedly and Haku blinked.

"But... I am just... I have not-"

"You are, technically, a refugee, Haku-san." Sarutobi leaned forward, steepling his hands in front of his mouth. "A refugee with a... questionable past, but a refugee with a bloodlimit, who became a part of Konoha willingly. Moreover, a refugee who is willing and able to add her strength to Konoha." He smiled pleasantly. "You might say that your kind of situation fits the customs of Konoha quite well in certain respects."

"The Clan laws..." The young woman breathed.

"Yes. Indeed. You might say that in some ways, you fall under the 'umbrella' of those." Sarutobi nodded. "Not completely, of course, but more than enough. Which is both a boon... and a problem." The old man looked at the kunoichi. "You said you... follow young Naruto, correct?"

"I am Naruto-sama's weapon, Hokage-sama." The young woman stated simply, without hesitation or doubt. "I will follow him to the day I die."

"So you say." The aged shinobi nodded slowly. "However... that is far more complicated than you... or my young genin realize." He looked at her for a long moment. "Did he tell you of his burden?"

Haku cocked her eyebrow quizzically and Sarutobi frowned.

"He didn't, then." The old man murmured. "You must remember this is an S-class secret, one that should NOT be talked about in this village."

Haku frowned thoughtfully. Her new master was like an open book... Well a very... odd book, to say the least, but still, he wasn't a person she'd picture having any major secrets. What could the old shinobi mean by that?"

"Are you aware of Kyuubi attack on Konoha?"

The kunoichi nodded.

"Yes, Yondaime Hokage defeated the beast thirteen years... ago..." She trailed of, a sudden sinking feeling welling in her chest.

"Yes. Indeed, he did." Sarutobi said wearily. "And in doing that, he left a burden to be carried... a heavy burden on the shoulders of a young boy."

"Oh." Haku said finally.

Hokage barked a mirthless chuckle.

"Oh indeed." He rubbed his temple. "Naruto, I am sad to say, instead of being treated as a hero he is and that Yondaime wished him to be, is a pariah. I am sure you noticed that by now."

"Yes." Haku's eyes darkend as her hand clenched. "I have been puzzled by it but now it makes... sense." Her posture stiffened, eyes becoming detached and cold. 'Treating Naruto-sama this way for... for _that_...?! It is... vile.' She thought, feeling a rapid, acidic spike of anger welling within her. 'But then.. I can understand him... now. No wonder he... he knew.' The anger simmered still, but Haku felt an odd feeling of warmth in her chest. 'He... Naruto-sama he... knows...' She thought numbly.

"Anyway, considering the... manner you came to this village, and your status, the situation is complicated." The old man leaned back. "You pledged yourself to Naruto. Not merely an oath but such a pledge..." He shook his head with exasperation. "However, this might work to our advantage here."

Haku looked at Sarutobi quizzically and the old ninja looked back ,a glint in his eyes.

"Haku-san... I have a proposition for you, if you were inclined to listen. "The old man smirked. "A proposition that just might benefit both you and Naruto."

* * *

"WHAT?! You can't do this!"

"Kid, this is my building, I sure as hell can." The gray haired, stout woman snorted.

"But I had it paid for-"

"No, actually you didn't. You've been lagging with rent for three months, brat. That payment? It paid for the last two."

"So I will pay, geez!" Naruto scowled. It wasn't like him to lag with rent but he had to buy new equipment, and the new explosive tags weren't cheap. Nor were new kunai, shuriken and even holsters. Kakashi took one look at his meager 'arsenal' and told him to buy new one at once. Naruto didn't exactly, know why - sure, they were a little... well, okay, _a lot_ beat up but the jounin told him to replace _everything_. And he had still that extra pair of gloves Kakashi demanded him to buy. He remembered what he paid for his last pair - he got paid a lot for last mission but with Haku there, the costs were twice what he was used to. And now this?"

"Hey, hey... lady, that's way more than the normal price!" The blond protested. "It wasn't that freaking high before!"

"Because before you didn't have some floozy living with you." The landlady scowled, pointing at Haku who was standing by, her cold eyes on the civilian. "The deal is for one person. If there are two, it gets double, you little idiot."

"But this is THREE TIMES higher!" Naruto snapped at the woman. "Three times! And then some!"

"Yeah. 'Cause that's the penalty for breaking the contract." The woman shrugged. "Should have read the deal right, kid."

"But I can't pay that much! Clothes, food... Damn it, I still need to buy a lot of things!"

"Not my problem." The woman shrugged again.

"But-!"

"I said, not my problem." She snapped. "Pay, or you're out by Friday."

The air cooled and the woman stiffened as a faint killing intent hit her.

"This is despicable." Haku's eyes were bright and cold. "Your behavior is inexcusable you-"

"K...K-eep away you whore...!" The landlady stammered, taking a shaky step back. "Keep away or I'll swear I.. I'll call the ANBU, I will!"

"Call them." The kunoichi said coolly, her hands clenching. "Please, do. I-" She halted as Naruto's warm hand clasped hers. She looked to the side, only to see Naruto shake his head.

"Naruto-sama..." The kunoichi looked at him

"No. Just... no." The genin said softly.

"...As you wish." The young woman let her killer intent recede as she forced her body to relax, before throwing one last look at the shaking owner of the building who took her cue and all but ran away, the door closing swiftly behind her.

"Naruto-sama... Why?" Haku asked softly. "It is obvious what she is doing and yet you-"

"It won't... change anything." The blond said with resignation. "If you did anything... she would have gone and started making trouble and..."

"But if you told the Hokage-!"

"It wouldn't change the damn thing." Naruto said bitterly.

"But he could have-"

"He won't." Naruto closed his eyes, sitting on the nearest chair heavily. "He won't. Because she'll tell I threatened her, all will agree and I'll have ANBU taking us both away."

Haku froze.

"You... Speak as if you-"

"It happened. Twice." The genin let out a short, mirthless chuckle. "I pranked a guy once, he kind of slipped. Next thing I know, I have Keimu Butai booking me in a cell. The guy told them I tried to kill him. Then he told them I threatened him."

"But... this is ridiculous. Your Hokage should have-" Haku halted, her eyes widening in understanding.

Hokage couldn't. Because he couldn't show any favoritism, even if charges were ridiculous. Laws could be bent only so much.

"Did he... help you, then?"

"After I got out, sure. Some guy got demoted and stuff." The blond's smile was bittersweet. "And you know what? That guy, the one who got demoted? He came up to me, and said it was 'worth it'. I didn't understand then but..."

"After you... knew about the Kyuubi..."

"Yeah." Naruto winced. "Sorry I didn't tell you but... It kinda slipped my mind."

And _damn_, but he was happy she didn't treat him differently after that.

'I owe you one, old man.'

"Naruto-sama..." Haku bowed. " It is my fault. I am sorr-"

"Hey, hey!" Two surprisingly strong hands grabbed her. "Don't be, eh? She was lookin' for an excuse for years. It had to happen sooner or later." He grinned. "We'll just look for something else. Maybe even bigger. It is a little small for two, don't ya think?"

The kunoichi gave him a faltering smile at the false cheer.

"Yes, Naruto-sama. We will."

* * *

"Good. But don't concentrate on one pattern." Kakashi let the Fang pass him by as he turned, lightly tugging at the wire.

Sakura's eyes widened and she let go of the weapon, jumping up.

The jounin didn't waste any time, snagging his hand to punch the girl, only to backpedal as the chakra blade almost nicked him.

His eyes widened as, almost as if by magic, it snapped back to Sakura's hand.

"How-"

Sakura grinned, lunging and Kakashi chuckled as he noticed a faint glimmer of a wire around her wrist.

"Following Naruto's example, Sakura?" He said lightly, blocking with his own blade.

"It is... useful!" Sakura stabbed, rapidly letting go of the blade and letting the lunge sail her through as she kicked some dirt.

"My, such dirty-" Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard the tel-tale hiss of an explosive note.

A quick Kawarimi later, the explosion shredded the log.

"You are getting better, Sakura." The jounin praised her cheerfully. "Nicely executed. It just might have worked." His eye made the familiar upturned smile.

The pink haired girl panted, sweat and dirt marring her face, the short long discarded, leaving the tight tank top and the cut up, loose training pants.

"And who..." She panted. "Said it didn't?" Her smirk widened.

Kakashi blinked.

'What is she-'

It was just a minute spike, barely enough for any normal nin. Though Kakashi as far from normal.

As such the angry Katon charred only some grass and a Kawarimi log.

The copycat came out of Kawarimi, looking at the blaze with surprise.

'That was from behind, but I was fighting her. Was it Kage Bunshin...? But she-'

Kakashi strafed as five thin gouges appeared on the tree he was standing by. Air was suddenly filled with smell of ozone as Raiton crackled to life.

He didn't need to look to know Naruto was letting his wires loose again. Almost without thinking, Kakashi sent several kunai at the blond's estimate position, kicking his speed up a notch, just in time to avoid a Housenka from above.

'How in the-' He suddenly realized that the feedback from clones was absent. 'But-' His chakra blade moved on pure instinct, blocking the Fang, so dimmed it barely glowed.

"Dammit!" Sakura scowled. "And I dimmed it too!"

Kakashi chuckled.

"Age and experience always win." He said lightly, pressing the sword down. "I have both mass and strength, Sakura. Attacking from such angle is..." he blinked as Sakura rapidly... slid away?"...unwise?"

He spared a second, only to see Naruto running back as Sakura twisted nimbly using the Fang, of all things, as leverage.

The blond snapped his hands rapidly back, Sakura back on her legs. But Naruto didn't stop, breaking into a run again, this time right back at him... and Sakura jumped up.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized he suddenly had a very fast, rapidly approaching pink projectile with a chakra blade blazing inbound on him.

'Are they crazy?!' He thought with panic. 'She will-!' He hastily pointed his blade down, moving to jump away only for the ground to explode. Kakashi strafed back, barely avoiding several Kage Bunshin jumping up from a rather messy Shinju Zanshu and charging at the jounin.

Kakashi's hands sent out a volley of kunai almost without thought as he looked back to the rapidly... descending...?

The Copycat blinked, looking up.

'But she should be on my by now. Why is she...?

The smoke of the destroyed Kage Bunshin enveloped the battlefield and Kakashi's eyes widened as she saw the girl smirk.

"Gothcha...!" The kunoichi breathed, her palms opening, the lit explosive notes falling down like rain.

The copycat blinked owlishly as a sudden Katon hit the notes, cutting off any chance to escape.

"Oh." He said eloquently as the blaze consumed him.

* * *

"Got you!" Sakura crowed, grinning like a loon as she pushed the sweat-matted bangs from her face.

Naruto whistled appreciatively, eying the smoking field. Sure, those were low-yield tags, but several of them and that huge-ass Katon Sasuke used...

"Boom!" He chuckled. "Man, that was AWESOME!"

"Heh." Sasuke smirked.

"Nice tactics."

Team 7 blinked, looking to the left.

"Really nice." A slim, violet haired woman in a nondescript, if fairly tight fatigues, so generic it might have come from anywhere in Konoha frowned, kneeling by the ground, peering at the damage. "For a genin team, very well done."

Sasuke frowned.

'She... was watching?' He thought with surprise. 'I didn't even feel her presence!'

"I'm sorry but... Who are you?" Sakura asked the woman unsurely.

"Uzuki Yuugao." The woman dusted off her hands, standing up. "Jounin. I know your teacher." She nodded with approval. "I can see he didn't waste time. Little too elaborate and clumsy, but otherwise, very nicely done. Way above genin usual dreg. You'd be sure to take out any chuunin, or even an unaware jounin with a bit of luck. Commendable."

"I'd say." Kakashi nodded sagely. "I don't think that poor Kage Bunshin will threaten anyone ever again."

Naruto groaned, palming his face and Sasuke scowled.

"...Dammit, sensei..." Sakura sighed. "You've got more lives than a cat."

"Well, considering my cute students feel like killing me, their hard working, under appreciated teacher..." Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "But I must commend you for the plan. It was very good." He frowned. "Though those explosive notes were a bit much."

"It was just low-yield." Sasuke snorted. "More flash than anything."

"Those are still dangerous, you know." Kakashi pointed out.

"Eh, at most you'd lose some hair." Naruto said cheerfully. "No big deal."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" The blond said innocently.

"Well, aren't you the brimming exuberance." The jounin said dryly, before blinking. "Hmm. Here is the thought. I think I'll let you loose on Gai next time. He'd be... delighted at an example of youthful exuberance such as you three."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing." The Copycat waved his hand, before turning to Sakura. "I wondered why you were fighting so intensely... Distracting me from the feedback so Naruto could help Sasuke with the clones, I'd guess."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, while Sasuke looked away, huffing.

"Still, I am interested what brought that on." The copycat looked at the trio.

"Well... I just..." Sakura muttered, avoiding Kakashi's eyes. "You always say we are a team and... well..."

"'Team of three genin can take out a jounin'" Sasuke said bluntly. " Isn't that what you said during the bell test? We wanted to test that. What is the point of just honing our individual combat abilities?"

"Yeah!" Naruto scowled. "We ARE a team, right?"

Kakashi looked at the three genin for a long moment.

"Yes." He said softly. "Yes, you are a team." He patted Sakura's head. You did good. all of you. I am proud." He smiled at them. "Take a break, okay?"

The trio looked at each other, Sakura and Naruto grinning, laughing and cheering as they walked away. Sasuke tried to smirk but failed, a wide grin on his face. Even when Naruto punched his arm the glare was half hearted at best, not diminishing the grin on the Uchiha's face.

"You have good students, sempai." Yuugao said softly, observing the three genin as they walked to what had become their 'rest spot' during the weeks spent on the training ground. "Their teamwork is strong, they are a good team."

"Of course they are." Kakashi said simply, looking on, his tone oddly wistful yet proud at the same time. "They are Team Seven, after all."

"Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto - meet Uzuki Yuugao, my former subordinate, mid-range jutsu expert and one of the best sword specialists in the village."

The woman nodded.

"Sakura, Yuugao-san is also one of the best chakra weapon experts Konoha has. As a specialist and regular chakra blade user, she will be able to show you how to utilise the Fang better."

Sakura nodded.

"So you won't-"

"Oh no, I will train you more." Kakashi smiled. "It is just, I am not really an expert on chakra weapons - Yuugao here is. She can teach you things I'd never be able to."

"Oh." The younger kunoichi looked at the older woman. "I hope I won't be a burden then, Yuugao-san. Thank you for taking me."

"I had some free time." Yuugao smiled almost unnoticeably. "Besides, after I teach you, you might actually cut down that giant ego down a bit for a change."

"Women." Kakashi sighed, before reaching into his pack and withdrawing two medium-sized scrolls, giving one to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama gave me a brief, high level mission." Kakashi explained. "I will be away for a few days. In that time, I expect you to learn all that is in those scrolls. There are a few interesting jutsu here, as well as some other things. Not much but it should be more than enough. Yuugao-san here agreed to supervise that part of your training."

"I will be already teaching the girl." The violet haired woman shrugged. "I can make time to give you a pointer or two."

"Other than that, I expect you to keep up daily routine, save for the combat exercises." The copycat smiled. "Think of it as a break."

"...Some break." Sasuke muttered, peering into the scroll. It was filled to the brim with various small exercises, pointers, a handful of jutsu and some theory. Not much, as Kakashi said, but not something he'd call a 'break' either. Though if he could ask that Yuugao woman to show him-"

"And Sasuke...? No sharingan." Kakashi wagged his finer. "Believe me, I have many ways to check, so don't even think about it."

The Uchiha heir glared at his teacher. He knew what Kakashi meant - the last time Sasuke tried to pull something like that, the jounin simply asked him to disassemble the technique to the barest components. Which, considering he copied it whole, he simply couldn't do. The resulting 'sparring' session wasn't pretty. Sasuke still felt the bruises. And less said about the humiliation in front of his teammates the better.

"Glad we have an understanding, Sasuke." The copycat said cheerfully, before turning to the blond. "Naruto, I want you to use that time to finish resupplying your arsenal. And remember - secondary pair of gloves, as well as some spare wires to mount on them. There is no telling when a weapon like that can get damaged." He warned.

Naruto winced, nodding.

That would cost him, but Kakashi was right. Considering what kind of abuse he put the wires through...

"Also... It wouldn't be bad if you learned how to repair them yourself." Kakashi said thoughtfully. "On a long term mission, you often must rely on yourself and your supplies." He frowned, before grabbing a piece of paper and writing a few lines, before giving it to Naruto. "Go to this shop. The woman there is one of the best blacksmiths I have ever met and she should cut you a fair deal. Tell her I sent you and she'll even teach you how to care for those gloves of yours for a small fee. Just no slacking or she'll throw you out on your face, Naruto."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. I'll make sure he doesn't blunder too badly." Sakura gave Naruto a stern look that left the blond smiling sheepishly. "And Haku-san will be there as well." she smiled at the dark haired kunoichi who tentatively smiled back. "So don't worry. Between us two, I'm sure he will be at his best behavior, if he knows what's good for him, Won't you, Naruto-kun?" She asked sweetly, and the blond blanched at the honeyed menace. He knew that tone, oh he knew it very well. When Sakura talked like that, one of her infamous punches followed. Girl or not, Sakura could hit like no one else when she was mad enough.

"Whipped." Sasuke muttered with a smirk.

"Sasuke-kun, you will help too, won't you?" Sakura's smile was even sweeter than before, but Sasuke was no fool.

The Uchiha scion grunted, looking away.

"Heh heh. Who's whipped now, bastard?" Naruto said lowly.

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke responded in the same tone.

Sakura was a polite, almost sickeningly sweet girl. 'Girly girl' as Naruto put it and Sasuke - not that he'd ever admit it - had to agree. However, dealing with a tired, annoyed Sakura was a whole another matter. Over their training, Sasuke made a startling discovery - Sakura and Naruto were amazingly similar. Only Naruto wasn't vindictive. Sakura, as he had found, was.

He still had no idea how she managed to dye all of his shorts and shirts save the ones he fell asleep in (and was wearing currently - adding daily washing of those to his half-asleep chores, to his chargrin) pink, but he knew for a fact it wasn't Naruto. The idiot would dye them orange, after all. No, it was Sakura, he was sure of it. Especially since she didn't waste any time squealing how cute he looked. Right in the middle of a village.

It wasn't HIS fault he was half asleep and just threw whatever he had laying around on himself walking out for training, goddamit!

Kakashi didn't let him change out of those blasted things either, and it wasn't like he had time to go and buy something else. The shops were closed when he woke up, and they were long closed when he dragged himself back home. Or were dragged, but less thinking about the better. He needed to thank Naruto for that - it was at his insistence that he did it, instead of leaving Sasuke to Sakura's... tender mercies.

The first time it happened, the girl started to blush and giggle madly, uncomfortably alike to the giggle they now knew by heart - the 'Icha Icha' giggle. Sasuke really, REALLY didn't want to think about it. The girl was becoming a valued teammate and far cry from the useless hanger on she was before, he would be the first to admit that, but there were some things he'd not dare to contemplate.

'I really need to do something for the dobe for that.' Sasuke shuddered.

Of course, simply thanking Naruto for it didn't even pass through his mind.

"Well now, it seems that the teamwork idea came at a very good time." Kakashi said. "Yuugao-san...?"

The woman nodded, pulling out a scroll and unsealing it, leaving three pairs of metal bracers.

"Naruto, could you come here please?" Kakashi knelt by the bracers, drawing a quick seal around all six. "Channel as much chakra as you possible can into those."

The blond scratched his head, but put his palms on the seal concentrating.

For a few moments nothing happened, but then, the seal sparked, before flashing once.

"That's enough." Kakashi picked up two and gave them to Naruto. "Put them on. The rest of you, come here and put them on as well."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, puzzled before following the example of their teammate.

"Good." Kakashi nodded. "Now the bracers you put on are simple, yet ingenious devises called chakra manacles, they are usually used by ANBU to restrain dangerous prisoners. They are set to deliver quite painful shock if they detect any focused channeling of chakra. Or were, anyway. Those are... modified a little." The copycat smiled cheerfully. "Now they are set to react to each other, and the distance between each pair. Simply put, if you walk too far away..." The trio yelped. "This happens." Kakashi smiled.

"...What the HELL?!" Naruto growled. "What's that supposed to be?!"

"An exercise in coordination, strategy, tactics and - most importantly - teamwork."

"Kakashi-sensei... this is not funny!" Sakura grabbed her bracer, trying to get it off, only to yelp as she was stung again.

Yuugao blinked.

"Oh. So that's why you wanted them to be altered." She said curiously, before looking at Kakashi. "Isn't that a bit of an overkill, sempai?"

"Hmm..." Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before smiling. "Considering my cute students pulled such a splendid performance of teamwork and tactics... Not in the least!"

"So.. what, we have to keep together now? All the time?" Sasuke growled. "This is insane!"

"Not all the time. Just while training." Kakashi said cheerfully.

"What training?" The Uchiha snorted. "We can't train like that!" He pointed at Sakura and Naruto, who were careful not to walk too far away for each other and Sasuke.

"Sure you can." Kakashi's eye 'smiled'. "I'd say you can even fight." He paused, tapping his chin. "Well, for your sake, you better be."

Sakura blanched, a sinking feeling welling in her chest.

"...Oh no..."

"Team 7... As of now we are expanding..." Kakashi drew a kunai. "to close quarters team combat."

Naruto and Sasuke blinked owlishly.

"This guy... is insane." The blond muttered, wide eyed.

Sasuke just nodded numbly, before they both hit the ground as kunai sailed over their heads.

"Less talking, more training." Kakashi advised them, twirling another kunai. "Also, you should know that-"

The trio yelped as another shock went through them.

"-the shock gets stronger the more distance is between you."

Sakura winced at the twin glares from her teammates and she moved closer to them.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly.

"Okay, this is... something else." Muttered Yuugao, staring at the trio, before looking at Kakashi. "Aren't they a little bit tired after that latest stunt?"

"Of course they are." Kakashi shrugged. "But ninja don't always fight in optimal conditions."

"Ah." The ANBU nodded thoughtfully. "Point." She cocked her head. "Kakashi... were they fighting against only you during the spars?"

The copycat blinked, before looking at Yuugao.

"Good thinking." He said, before looking at the cursing genin. "Small change of plans. To prepare you for a variety of opponents and fighting styles, Yuugao-san will now take over. This is a valuable experience for you - she is one of the top Konoha sword users and ANBU officer. Have fun, kids." He said cheerfully, sitting on a nearby stone and pulling out an Icha Icha volume.

"You will now learn to acclimate to a variety of opponents of higher level, rookies." Yuugao's voice was smooth and even, but the glint in her eye was just plain disturbing. "Lesson number one. Taijutsu."

Yuugao smirked, cracking her knuckles as the trio blanched.

* * *

TBC...

* * *


End file.
